The Other Side
by Zesty Bod
Summary: Damon and Bonnie are stuck on the Other Side, and it's not quite what they expected. Set after 5x22.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. If you're reading my Scandal story, "Now and Then," I promise that I will finish it but I'm on the outs with Scandal right now. Now that Damon/Bonnie might be about to happen, that's what's inspiring me. I have been off and on with Vampire Diaries. I did watch 5x22, but forgive me if some little details are off. Read and review!**

Chapter 1

As Bonnie awoke, her senses returned to her one at a time. First came her hearing, and she was welcomed by the sound of birds chirping just outside the window. Then came the smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes wafting into her nose and beckoning her to wake up and partake. She opened her eyes, expecting to see her room. Instead she was met with the unfamiliar sight of dark curtains, traditional furniture and black satin sheets. She frowned, trying to recall where she was and how she'd gotten there. She moved her body just slightly and quickly realized that she was naked. It wasn't until she tried to get up that she discovered that she wasn't alone. Her body was encased by pair of toned, pale arms.

Slowly, the feeling in the rest of her body caught up and she became acutely aware of a naked male body pressed up against hers at every possible point of contact. She felt soft, even breathing on the back of her neck. Arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Legs curled into the backs of her knees. And a certain body part nestled snugly between her buttocks.

Her cheeks flamed and she panicked. Her first thought was that she had spent the night with Jeremy. But the person behind her didn't feel like Jeremy. He didn't smell like him. The person in bed with her smelled like spice and fresh laundry and sex.

He smelled like Damon.

With all the apprehension in the world, Bonnie slowly turned her head and was met with the sight of none other than Damon Salvatore, smirking at her.

"Morning, Judgey. Nice ass, by the way."

Bonnie screamed and scrambled so hard to get away from him that she fell out of the bed and right onto her butt. Damon casually looked over the edge of the bed and whistled appreciatively.

"Hey, the whole package is nice. Who knew?"

"What. The. FUCK?" she yelled, yanking at the sheets until she had them haphazardly wrapped around her body. "Why the hell are you in bed with me?!"

"Newsflash, little witch, you were in my bed."

It was that moment that Bonnie took stock of her surroundings and realized that she was, in fact, in Damon's room at the boarding house. How she had gotten there, she had no idea.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked aloud, mostly to herself.

"Beats me." He placed his hands behind his head and sprawled out, seemingly unconcerned that Bonnie's taking of the sheets had left him completely nude.

"Aren't you confused as to how we ended up like this?" she screeched.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I woke up with my dick in between your butt cheeks. I don't care how. I don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Bonnie groaned loudly and finally made it onto her feet. She racked her brain, trying to figure how she would have ever been drunk or high enough to end up in bed with Damon. She closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on remembering, and then it came back to her in a powerful flash. She saw herself and Damon in the woods, holding hands, awaiting death on the Other Side.

"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.

"Uh...us in the woods, I guess."

"Me too. Do you think...do you think this is the Other Side?"

Damon looked around his room and shrugged. "Not really how I imagined it but yeah I guess so. Maybe we're dead. Like really dead this time, and this is Heaven."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Or Hell."

Before they could discuss it any further, the door swung open and revealed Elena on the other side. Ice water ran through Bonnie's veins, wondering how she would ever explain this situation to her best friend.

"Elena," she started, holding up one hand. "This is not what it looks like, I swear."

Elena frowned, looked from Bonnie to Damon and back again, and said, "Uh, okay? I was just coming to check on you because I heard a thud and a scream. You okay? You look kind of freaked out right now."

Bonnie's eyes flitted from Elena to Damon, who had the decency to put a pillow over his lower parts. He seemed just as confused as she was.

"You're not mad?" Bonnie asked.

"Mad? About what? It's not like I haven't caught you and Damon doing worse. Don't tell me you already forgot about the unfortunate time I walked in on your guys screwing against the wall." She laughed and shook her head, then closed the door, but not before adding, "Stefan and I made breakfast. Come down when you're finished being weird."

Bonnie snapped her head in Damon's direction. "What was that?"

"Clearly, we are in some kind of freaky alternate universe or something."

"Because Elena wasn't upset?"

"No," he said as he sprung off the bed and dropped his pillow. Bonnie averted her eyes but heard him pulling some pants on. "Because the thought of you actually letting someone fuck you against a wall could only happen in an alternate universe."

"Screw you, Damon," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Apparently you already did that," he said with a smile. He got right in her face, crowding her personal space as he often did, and she opened her mouth to come back with some witty retort. The comment died on her lips, though, when she became distracted by something else. Damon noticed the frown on her face. "What?" he asked.

"You're warm."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Bonnie tentatively reached out and placed a hand on his bare chest. She felt the rhythmic pounding of his heart and for some reason she couldn't explain, she smiled.

"You're warm, Damon. And your heart is beating."

His blue eyes widened and he placed his hand over hers, feeling his own heart in his chest. He yanked away from Bonnie and tried to super-speed to the other side of the room, but he couldn't. He looked back at her and stated the obvious.

"I'm human."

"We should just tell Elena and Stefan what happened and see if they have any suggestions."

"Use your head, Bon-Bon. Did you see Elena's face when she walked in on us? She has no idea that we're from a different time or place or whatever the fuck is happening here. We certainly can't tell her or anyone else that I used to be a vampire or you used to be a witch. Not unless we want to end up in a psych ward somewhere."

Bonnie rolled her eyes again. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest that we lay low for a while, get the lay of the land and then make a plan. We're good at making plans, aren't we?"

"I guess," she grumbled.

"Good."

Damon dug out a black t-shirt and pulled it on. He gave Bonnie the once-over and she tightened her sheets a little more.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. Wear something tight so I can visualize that perky ass again."

"Get out!"

He wiggled his eyebrows but shut the door, and Bonnie sighed. She sat on the edge of the bed and held her head in her hands for a moment. She'd lived and died through some truly crazy things in her short life, but this took the cake. Waking up naked with Damon Salvatore was not something she ever imagined she would do. She desperately wished she could make contact with her Grams and get some kind of answers, but she didn't think that was possible. She wanted to freak out, scream or curl up in a ball on the bed and cry.

But for once, she agreed with Damon. If she was going to get out of the situation, she needed to get her head on straight and figure out what was going on. So with the bedsheets still wrapped around her body, she got up and began to explore the closet and drawers. To her surprise, she found several drawers filled with her clothes: underwear, t-shirts, jeans, all folded neatly and placed in storage spaces throughout the room. It didn't escape her that having clothes at Damon's place signaled that their sleeping together wasn't a one-time thing.

Still, Bonnie pushed the thought out of her mind and dressed in a snug white jersey tee and some jeans. She freshened up in the bathroom and when she went down to the kitchen, she saw Damon, Elena and Stefan sitting around the kitchen table, laughing and joking like it was completely normal. She side-eyed Damon, who narrowed his eyes just a bit, warning her to play along.

"Bonnie," Stefan said with a big smile, "good morning. We made your favorite."

She tentatively looked at the spread on the table: eggs, bacon and chocolate chip pancakes. Her stomach grumbled and she realized that she couldn't even recall the last time she ate.

"Wow, it looks great," she said.

She made a plate and then hesitated before sitting next to Damon, who made a show of leaning down to kiss her cheek. It took everything in her not to scowl at him.

"So, Bon, are we still on for shopping today?" Elena asked. "I have so much stuff I need to buy for our trip! I think I'm going to pack nothing but swimsuits. Who needs clothes in the Caribbean, right?"

Bonnie forced a smile and nodded.

"Right."

"Caroline said she could meet us at the mall in a couple of hours. I was thinking we could just leave from here together."

Bonnie knew that she probably should have just nodded and agreed, but she felt like she needed to get out of the house and have some personal time to get her bearings.

"I actually need to run a few errands first. I can meet you guys there, though."

"Okay, so I guess let's just plan to meet at 1. How does that sound?" Elena asked.

"Sounds perfect."

The rest of the breakfast went well, mostly because Bonnie said very little. She let Damon take the helm and he acted like absolutely nothing was out of place. He and Bonnie volunteered to put the dishes up since Elena and Stefan had cooked, and once the two of them were out of earshot, they came up with a plan. Bonnie would try to pick up information from Bonnie and Caroline, and Damon would do the same with Stefan. They agreed to meet up and go over what they had discovered when Bonnie came back for the night, even though she still found it odd that she was going to return and voluntarily sleep in a bed with Damon.

She was very happy when she finally got out of the house and into a Prius that was just like the one she had in her real life. Getting behind the wheel, she took a deep breath and smiled for the first time since waking up. She drove the familiar streets of Mystic Falls and was relieved to find that everything looked the same. When she got to her neighborhood, she slowed down and took notice of the houses and neighbors. Nothing was different. She pulled into the driveway of her house and turned off the engine. She didn't get out immediately, just looked at it for a few minutes. She finally got out and walked onto the porch. She fumbled with her keys, trying to find the right one, and the door opened.

"Bonnie, sweetie, I didn't know you were coming by today," her dad said with a big smile.

Bonnie was so surprised that she just stared for a moment. "Dad?"

"Well don't just stand there, pumpkin, come in."

He ushered her inside and if she was surprised to see her father, she was shocked when she saw her mother in the kitchen, brewing coffee. She nearly called her by her first name but caught herself.

"Mom?" she asked.

"Hi, baby," her mother responded with a smile. "Damon let you out of his sight long enough to come see your parents?"

"That boy acts like he can't breathe unless you're right in his face," Rudy said with only a touch of disapproval. "You two could come over here sometimes, you know. He doesn't always have to hide you at his house. Just because you're marrying him doesn't mean he can take my spot as the number one man in your life yet."

Rudy and Abbie chuckled, but Bonnie froze in place.

Marriage? To Damon? Her mind nearly exploded. Her head was spinning with everything going on, and she felt like she needed to take a seat before she fainted. She chanced a look at her left hand and sure enough, a sparkling diamond ring adorned her fourth finger. How she had missed that earlier, she had no idea.

"Your grandmother wants you to come by and see her," Abbie said.

Bonnie's ears perked up immediately.

"Grams?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"Yeah, she said you guys are due for one of your heart-to-hearts."

As much as Bonnie wanted to catch up with her parents, knowing that her grandmother was alive and accessible was more important than anything else. She shot out of the house and sped all the way to Grams's house. She knocked impatiently on the door and when her grandma answered, Bonnie pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Oh my God, you're alive," she said. She inhaled her scent and squeezed tighter. She had dreamt of being able to see and touch and listen to her grandmother for so long that to have it again was almost overwhelming.

"You made it," Sheila said with a knowing smile once Bonnie pulled away. She framed her granddaughter's face and shook her head. "I knew you would."

"What is going on here? Please tell me that I haven't lost my mind."

"Come inside, child. No need for the whole neighborhood to hear our business."

She took Bonnie's hand and led her inside, where she already had two hot cups of tea waiting. Bonnie slipped off her shoes and sat down on the couch, immersing herself in the smell of her favorite place with her favorite person.

"Grams, where am I?"

"You're in Mystic Falls, baby, where else would you be?" she answered with a smirk.

"You know what I mean. This is like some kind of different universe or something, right? It's Mystic Falls but everything is different."

"Not everything," Sheila shrugged. "You've got the same friends. You're in college. You drive the same car..."

"My parents are both alive and home and living together. You're here."

She stopped short of mentioning Damon, but Sheila quirked an eyebrow at the omission.

"Is that all?" the older woman asked.

"So I guess you know about the situation with Damon."

"I told you I would look out for you."

"With him? Of all people? Where did that come from?"

"Oh, honey, you're so young and have so much to learn. If I told you why Damon, it would take all the fun out of the discovery."

"But we hate each other!"

"Maybe you did once upon a time, but that's been changing for a while, hasn't it?"

"But...he loves Elena. And I want to be with Jeremy."

"You sure about that?"

"About which part? Him loving Elena or me loving Jeremy?"

"Both."

Sheila retained her mischievous smirk and when Bonnie groaned in frustration, she added, "Bonnie Bennett, you know I would never do anything to lead you astray. Trust me. And trust yourself." She patted Bonnie's knee and said, "now go on, time to meet with your friends. You and I will have plenty of time to catch up and talk."

She scooted Bonnie out, but not before giving her another warm hug.

By the time Bonnie met her friends at the mall, her whole body was in a tailspin. Her entire world had been turned upside down, but in ways that she mostly liked. The only odd thing about the whole situation was Damon. Elena spent the entire shopping trip peppering Bonnie with questions about Damon: why were they acting so weird this morning? They were usually so affectionate and had to be pried apart. Bonnie blamed it on her cycle and that seemed to placate her friends.

When she returned to the boarding house, it was well into the evening. She wandered up to Damon's room and was glad to find it empty. She dropped her shopping bags on the ground and plopped on her back onto the soft mattress. She covered her face with her hands and tried to think of nothing. Of course, that was impossible. She was thinking about everything that had happened during the day, what it all meant, and why her own grandmother thought Damon a fit partner for her in this otherwise perfect world.

Bonnie kept her face covered even after she heard the door open. Boots walked across the hardwood floor, then the bed dipped slightly with the weight of another person. She could tell from his scent that it was Damon, and when she opened her eyes, his electric blue orbs were staring back at her.

"You look spent, Judgey."

"My parents are alive," she said without preamble. "So is Grams. She set this whole thing up."

"I figured as much."

"She wouldn't tell me why or how you and I are a couple."

"Good old Sheila," he said with a wry smile. "Always good for a mind-fuck."

"We're engaged," Bonnie continued. "Did you know that?"

"I saw the ring on your finger when I woke up this morning. I was waiting on you to see it and freak out, but the heavens must have been smiling on me because you were too spaced out to notice."

Bonnie shook her head and covered her face again. "This is so crazy. I know I should be used to crazy shit by now but somehow I'm still taken by surprise."

Damon lay down next to her, bumping her with his shoulder.

"Want to know what I found out today?" he asked.

"Don't tell me we have some little brown-skinned, curly-haired children running around," she mumbled.

"You wish."

She elbowed him.

"So apparently, you and i have been together for about a year. i was a man whore before you tamed me, of course."

"Of course."

"We're head over heels in love and the shopping trip that you and the girls went on today is for a week-long excursion to the Bahamas to celebrate our recent engagement."

Bonnie shook her head, then sat up on her elbows and looked at Damon.

"How are you so calm about this?" she asked. "I mean, you and I barely tolerate each other and the girl you love is with your brother and you're stuck with me."

Damon mimicked her position and sat up. "First of all, you and I have evolved way past tolerating each other, wouldn't you say? Secondly, yes, Elena is with Stefan in this version of the world but I know this is temporary and eventually we'll find our way back home. Trust me, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn to go with the flow and just accept things. And third, you don't give yourself enough credit, little witch. You're hot. And smart. There are certainly worse people I could be stuck with."

Bonnie wasn't sure how to respond because Damon was being sincere and she wasn't used to that. She was used to snarky comments and bickering, so to see his blue eyes trained on her while he tried to make her feel better was a nice change of pace.

"Plus, you've got a sweet ass."

Bonnie couldn't even stop her smile. "And there he is, ladies and gentlemen."

"Gotta keep you on your toes, Bennett." He tapped her nose, then got off the bed. "I'm getting ready for bed. Fair warning, I sleep in the nude."

"Not while you're tethered to me, you don't."

"Don't act like you didn't like it this morning," he said with his signature smirk. "It'll help us bond."

"Clothes on, Damon."

"Pants on, no shirt," he said.

She thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Fine."

"Same for you."

"In your dreams."

He helped her off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Bonnie went through some dresser drawers and found her pajama drawer, which was filled with nothing but see-through nighties, skimpy underwear and worn-in T-shirts that wouldn't even cover her crotch. She bit her lip and settled for a T-shirt, then she rifled through Damon's drawers and pulled on some of his soft cotton pants. She settled into the bed and when he returned from the bathroom, shirtless and with pants hanging off his hips, he turned off the light and joined her in bed. Bonnie made sure to stay on her side of the bed, while Damon had no problem stretching out and touching her with several parts of his body.

"Get your cold feet off of me, please," she said.

"You could warm them up, you know."

"Do you ever stop being a pig?"

"Oink, oink, baby."

She shook her head and turned onto her side, away from him. The room was silent for a while, with only the sound of the crickets outside. Bonnie had almost fallen asleep when Damon spoke again.

"There was one more thing I found today," he said.

"What?" she asked dryly.

"A sex tape of us."

Bonnie shot up in bed and spun to face him. "WHAT?!"

"Shhhh, do you want to wake up everyone?"

"Damon, what the hell? How could you not tell me that?"

"I'm telling you now."

"Where did you find it? What? Oh my God."

"On my computer, saved under 'Damon and Bonnie being freaky.' Subtlety was never my strong suit."

"Oh my God, oh my God," she said over and over. "Are you serious? Did you watch it?"

"Of course I did," he snorted. "It was incredibly hot. You're a naughty little girl."

She smacked him with a pillow.

"You wanna watch?" he asked playfully.

"No. Never. I want you to destroy it and forget you ever saw it."

"No and not possible."

"Damon!"

He laughed and then turned over. "Good night. Lover."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bonnie woke up in the same position as the day before: curled on her side, with Damon spooning her from behind. She had briefly thought the previous day just a dream, but when she turned around and came face-to-face with Damon's sleeping form, she realized just how real it had all been. She almost pushed him off of her, but she instead let her eyes roam over his exposed chest and arms. He had always been beautiful, of course, with his dark hair and brilliant eyes, but with the muscle he had put on recently, he had reached a new plane of good-looking.

"See something you like, Bon-Bon?" he asked, without opening his eyes or letting her out of his grasp.

"I could have sworn we went to sleep on opposite sides of the bed. I didn't know you were such a snuggler."

"I guess my secret's out." He popped one eye open and the sun illuminated the color even more. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you."

"Yeah, see, without fangs, that threat feels kind of empty."

Damon shrugged, conceding the point, and closed his eye again.

"I need to get up," Bonnie said, making a weak attempt to move.

"It's Sunday. Go back to sleep."

"I want to look on my computer and in my phone to figure out my life in this place."

"You can do that later. You're a good pillow. All soft and stuff."

He then nuzzled her closer and Bonnie couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm getting up," she said, although she rested her head on the pillow again and allowed him to hold her tighter.

"We're having a barbecue today. The whole Scooby-Doo gang is coming over. Stefan roped me into helping him grill," Damon said.

"Do you even know how to cook?"

"Woman, I've been on this planet for damn near two centuries. Of course I know how to cook. I could be a world-renowned chef if I wanted. And plus, every man should know how to grill, at the very least."

"Mmm," she hummed noncommittally.

They lay quietly for a few minutes, before Damon broke their silence with an unexpected command.

"You should kiss me," he said.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because, we're engaged and according to all sources, very affectionate with one another. It would probably look a little strange if we go from not being able to keep our hands off each other to not even kissing. You should probably kiss me now to get it out of the way. The faster we get our first kiss out of the way, the faster we can start tonguing each other down."

"Ha!" Bonnie laughed. "You're such a pervert. You're just trying to cop a feel on me."

"If I wanted to do that, I would."

And then he slid his hand down to her butt and gave it healthy squeeze. Bonnie reached behind her and smacked his hand.

"Don't make me kill you, Damon."

"You know, without your witchy juju, that threat feels kind of empty."

She smirked, and she knew he was smirking behind her.

"As much as I deeply enjoy sparring with you, I don't think we're quite ready for kissing yet. It's too..." She searched for the right word. "Intimate."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Shake hands?"

"No, we can do other things to show affection."

"Like?"

Bonnie turned around in his arms and was met with both eyes open. The fact that he looked so good first thing in the morning wasn't even fair.

"Like...holding hands," she offered. "Kissing on the cheek and forehead. Snuggling."

"All of which are intimate, but whatever makes you feel better, Judgey."

She rolled her eyes and squirmed out of his grasp. She stretched and then started her walk to the bathroom.

"Who told you to put on my pants?" Damon asked.

"If I hadn't, you'd see all my goodies."

"I love goodies!" he shouted as she shut the door.

Bonnie shook her head and went about her morning routine. She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and combed hair out of her face. She started the shower running and while the water heated up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Before the whole debacle with bringing people back from the Other Side, Bonnie had been looking tired and haggard. The constant threat of death and magic and vampires and the supernatural had slowly but surely been wearing her down. Her eyes had dulled, her hair didn't shine and her shoulders slumped.

But as she stood in front of the mirror, she looked different. Happier. Lighter. Her eyes were green again. Her hair had bounce and sheen. Her body looked good.

Apparently, the Other Side had been good to her.

"Admiring the merchandise?" Damon asked, making Bonnie jump out of her skin.

"Damon!" she screamed, immediately trying to cover all the important parts with her hands and arms. "Get out!"

"Oh please," he waved a hand. "I'll tell you as I told your friend once. If you show me something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it."

He flipped the lid on the toilet up and yanked his pants down. Bonnie sucked in her teeth and turned away from him before she could see any of this private area. She yanked a towel off the rack and covered her body and once he was finished with his business, she smacked him repeatedly on the back.

"Hey, ow, that hurts," he said.

"You are taking this whole thing a little too literally, aren't you?"

"Engaged people share the bathroom, you know."

"Yes, I'm sure they do, but nobody's in here inspecting our bathroom habits so we're not in danger of anyone finding out that we aren't all over each other every second of the day! God, I must be on crack in this universe to put up with you!"

Damon stared at her for a minute, then smiled. "You're cute when you're angry."

"Out."

He raised his hands in surrender and made a show of locking the door before he left. Bonnie groaned and reminded herself to ask Grams what the hell was wrong with her. She was still irritated when she got under the hot spray, but once that water beat down on her skin, her annoyance melted away. Damon's shower was absolutely heavenly and all her soaps and shampoo and conditioner were already in there, so she felt right at home. Before she knew it, she had been in there for thirty minutes. When she finally extracted herself, she went to the bedroom to get ready and was thankful that Damon was gone. She pulled her hair into a high damp ponytail and put one some shorts and a comfortable shirt. She gathered her phone and computer and headed downstairs.

Damon and Stefan were already prepping food for the barbecue, and there was fresh fruit laid out on the counter.

"Hey, Bon, good morning," Stefan said.

"Morning," she smiled. "Where's Elena?"

"Still in bed. Would you like some fruit? The cantaloupe is fresh and I know that's your favorite."

"Breakfast every morning? I could get used to this, Stefan. I may need to trade in my Salvatore for a newer model," she teased.

Stefan grinned and Damon smirked.

"You'd better stop before I get jealous, lover," he said with a wink.

"We wouldn't want that, would we, baby?" she asked as she loaded up her plate with fruit.

"We sure wouldn't, pumpkin."

They locked eyes and Bonnie knew that if she didn't stop him, they would end up having a war to determine who could come up with the most obnoxious name. As Damon was the king of being obnoxious, she was sure he would win.

"I'm going outside," she said. She tried to load her plate on top of her computer but was having a hard time with it, so Damon took her plate and opened the door to the backyard for her.

"Pumpkin?" Bonnie asked once the door was closed.

"You don't like it?"

"Sounds like something my dad would say, so no."

Bonnie stretched out on the outdoor furniture and got her computer set up, and Donnie handed her the fruit.

"Here you go, buttercup."

"You're not going to stop, are you?" she asked dryly.

"When I find the right one, I will." He leaned down to her so that their faces were only a couple of inches apart. "See, this would be the perfect time for a kiss. Your dutiful fiance bringing you breakfast deserves a kiss."

Bonnie leaned in like she was going to kiss him on the lips, then veered off and pressed her mouth to his cheek. He growled and kissed her cheek as well, leaving her alone in the backyard. For a moment, she just took in the beautiful greenery, perfect morning air and sweet fruit. Maybe Grams hadn't been crazy after all.

When she was finished with breakfast, she powered up her computer and searched her documents for any clue about her current life. She wanted to know what kinds of classes she was taking in school, what she did in her free time and the like. Her fingers moved tentatively over the keyboard and she realized she was slightly afraid that she might find something unsavory, like the sex tape Damon had.

She shuddered at the thought.

Her first line of business was checking her Facebook account, which she was sure would provide a quick and dirty outline of her life. Her login information was the same, and even though she knew she shouldn't have been, she was surprised when her main profile picture was one of her and Damon. It was a beautiful, artistic black-and-white photo. They were holding hands and engaged in a sweet kiss, and both of them were smiling.

Bonnie stared at the picture for a long time. It was one thing to hear that they were engaged and in love but to see proof of it shocked her all over again. In the entire time she had known Damon, she had never once considered him in a romantic way. Sure, he was hot. Devastatingly so. But he had always been so caught up on Katherine and Elena that the thought of him being interested in someone else was absurd. Especially her. But she couldn't deny that they looked good together. And happy. And perfect.

She finally shook herself from the haze and focused her attention on other areas of her page. She was in school, getting her Master's degree in English. She was devoting the summer to an internship at a small literary agency and in her free time, attempting to write the Great American Novel.

Once she finished getting the basic information about herself, she went through all of her photo albums. She smiled at the pictures of her, Carolina and Elena, but the overwhelming majority were of her and Damon: on trips, at sporting events, kissing, hugging, smiling. Before she knew it, she had spent two hours looking at their pictures. She eventually meandered to his page and found several posts that they made to each other, each more affectionate than the last.

She became distracted when Damon, Stefan and Elena slid the backdoor open and came out, carrying tons of food for the grill. Bonnie couldn't help but stare at Damon a little bit, wondering if she could ever feel about him the way the pictures indicated that she did. He sensed her staring and he winked at her.

"Hey, Bon," Elena greeted, plopping down next to her friend. "Working on your book?"

"Uh, no, just surfing Facebook. And I got sucked into it, of course."

"God, I know. i have to steer clear of it unless I have the entire day free. I hope you're ready to talk wedding plans. Caroline's bringing a binder of ideas."

"Oh, great."

They both laughed and the conversation drifted to other things. Normal things like movies, fashion and gossip. It was so nice to talk about regular stuff, and it was nice to have her friend back.

The boys started grilling and other friends began to filter in. Caroline, then Matt, then Jeremy. It was strange to see Jeremy and know that they weren't together, even though he still gave her the googly eyes. They set up a volleyball net and Bonnie had a great time playing and letting loose. When the food was finally ready, they all gathered around the big outdoor table and Bonnie helped with getting the food and drinks spread out. She was about to put a hamburger together, when Damon stopped her.

"Uh, uh, uh," he said, presenting her with a burger that had already been prepared. "This one's for you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you poison it or something?"

"Funny. No. I just made it how you like it."

"How do you know how I like my burger?" she inquired.

"Well I have known you for five years. I've taken notice of what you like and don't like."

"Really?" she asked with a scrunched up nose. "I never thought you paid that much attention to me."

"Well, as usual, you would be wrong, little bird." He tapped her nose and then went about the business of making his plate.

Bonnie was still eyeing him warily when she sat down and took a bite of her burger. It was cooked to perfection, with just the right about of barbecue sauce and condiments and she couldn't help but wonder who this Damon was and why had never shown himself in their real world. He sat down next to her and smiled like he knew she was enjoying it, and she confirmed it by bumping her shoulder on his.

"Thank you," she said genuinely.

"You're welcome."

They joined the others in conversation and when dinner was finished, someone broke out the football and an intense game of touch football followed. They played until the sun went down, then gathered around the firepit and sipped on beers and wine. Stefan and Elena sat together, as did Matt and Caroline. Jeremy sat on a cooler, which left a tight little space for Bonnie and Damon. He sat down and held out his hand for her, and she slid onto his lap, astounded by how easy it was to fall into this act...especially after a couple of beers. The longer they sat like that, the more comfortable she became until she was curled up on his chest, asleep.

She awoke to the feeling of Damon pushing hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Rise and shine, snookums."

"Ugh, you're horrible at these names," she told him.

"Come on. Let's go up to bed."

Bonnie didn't argue and she didn't even pull away when he took her hand and said good night to everyone. They held hands silently all the way up to his room and once they were inside, he went to the bathroom to shower. Bonnie changed clothes and slipped into his bed, then stayed awake until he returned. He turned off the lights and got in on his side. They didn't say anything for a while, then Bonnie spoke up.

"Today was fun," she said.

"Mm hm."

"You're fun, when you're not being a douche bag."

"Aw, honey, you know just what to say to me. You're fun, too, when you're not being a judgmental little goody two-shoes."

"So sweet."

"Good night, Bennett."

She heard him turn away from her and she tried to fall back asleep, but something was on her mind. She was hesitant to say it, but she was talking before she could stop herself.

"Are you still taking suggestions for a good pet name?" she asked into the dark.

"Mm hm."

She paused for a moment, contemplating whether she should tell him, then she said, "I like it when you call me Little Bird," she admitted quietly.

Damon didn't respond immediately, and Bonnie was irrationally nervous about his reaction. She worried that he would tease her or be sarcastic, which she knew was crazy because that's how they talked to each other. But something about admitting that she liked the name made her feel vulnerable. She almost took it back until Damon finally answered.

"Little Bird it is, then."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Kensington Literary Agency was a small, four-person company right in the heart of Washington, D.C. On her first day at the job, Bonnie's alarm went off at 6 AM and she was out of the boarding house by 7. With traffic, a stop for tea and the normal parking struggles, she stepped foot into the building at 8:15 and was the first person there. She took a moment to take in the wonderful smell of paper and books, and then took her time turning on all the lights and finding her work station. It was a hardwood desk with a small MacBook on top. Her name was written in beautiful calligraphy and hung off the front of the desk. There were three pictures facing her: one with her parents, one with Grams and one with Damon.

She eased into the comfortable, worn-in chair and ran her hand over the large stack of papers on the far right side of her desk. A sticky note in her handwriting read, "to do by Friday." She skimmed through the stack and determined that it was a pile of sample manuscripts waiting to be read and critiqued. A slow smile crept across her face and she eagerly dove in, red pen in hand.

Everyone else trickled in slowly, and by 9:00, the entire office was there. Bonnie was pleasantly surprised to see that all her colleagues were Black women, including the owner, Ayana Kensington. Ayana was the agent for several bestselling novelists and had penned a few of her own. She had a reputation for possessing a discerning eye for talent and Bonnie couldn't have landed a better internship. Ayana and the others were congenial, fun and had great taste in books. The working environment was easy but professional and Bonnie hoped she could land a job there.

If, of course, she was still in the alternate world by then.

A text message broke her out of her thoughts and she glimpsed at her phone to see that it was from Damon.

_what are u wearing?_

Bonnie scoffed and typed a response.

_I'm naked, Damon. Naked at my job._

_are there other girls there? are u having pillow fights?_

_Yes. We're pillow fighting and rubbing each other with lotion._

_send me a pic_

She took a picture of her middle finger and sent it to him, and she couldn't fight the small laugh that bubbled out of her mouth.

_classy, bennett. _

_You taught me well._

_how is it for real_

_I'm drinking tea, reading manuscripts from exciting new authors and listening to neo-soul music. I think you were right. This is Heaven._

It took a minute for him to respond.

_sounds like nerd stuff_

_Yes, it is nerd stuff. And what are you doing with your time, now that you can't drink bourbon, have sex and suck blood for a living?_

_who says i can't?_

_Damon..._

_come see me after work and find out_

Damon texted her an address but wouldn't provide any further details. Bonnie was slightly worried about what he might be doing with his time. Damon didn't strike her as the 9-5 type and she honestly had no idea what his skills or talents were, other than being charming and manipulative.

Maybe he was a politician.

She kept him in the back of her mind for the rest of the day and anxiously drove to the address he provided when her work day was finished. The GPS took her back into Mystic Falls, into a familiar neighborhood and a street that she had visited once or twice. She slowed to a stop when she came to a yellow craftsman-style home a couple of streets down from her Grams's house. A few construction trucks were parked in the garage and along the curb, and the front door opened and out stepped Damon.

His black hair was slicked back away from his face. His forehead glistened with sweat and a tight black wife-beater t-shirt clung to his chest. His arms were bare for Bonnie to ogle, and she did. His jeans hung just right around his hips and work boots made him look even more masculine, if that was possible. He squinted his eyes in Bonnie's direction and pulled a towel out of his back pocket and wiped off his hands. He waved her over and she had to put her tongue back in her mouth.

The boy was hot. No doubt about it.

"I was wondering if you were going to make it," he said, leaning against one of the columns on the massive front porch.

"I was driving from D.C. and I had some traffic." She motioned to the partially torn-up lawn as she walked up the porch steps. "So people are paying you to destroy their homes now?"

He put his hand on her back and talked lowly so the other guys couldn't hear.

"Apparently, I'm a contractor. Much sought-after, of course. We're renovating this house."

Bonnie put her hand on her chest. "Do you mean to tell me that Damon Salvatore makes a living doing..." she gasped, "manual labor?"

"I'll have you know that I'm good with my hands," he winked.

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the porch. On one side, a porch swing had been installed and on the other, a fan was going and providing a little breeze in the stuffy Virginia heat. Instantly, she could imagine herself in that swing, under that fan, sipping a cool drink and reading a bestseller that she helped get published.

"Wanna see the inside?" Damon asked.

"Sure."

"After you, darling."

He motioned for her to walk in first, and he followed closely. Bonnie's eyes jumped around the huge living space with the vaulted ceilings. Half the walls were painted in a putrid green and the other half had been stripped of any color. Paint cans lay on the ground and Bonnie wondered what color would eventually be put up. She wandered through the formal dining room and into the kitchen, where she stopped and her mouth dropped. The rest of the house may have been in disarray but the kitchen definitely was not. It was nothing short of a chef's dream, complete with marble countertops, sleek appliances and a cooktop and oven that looked big enough to cook several meals at once.

"Wow," she said.

"Pretty nice, huh?"

"I mean, I don't even love to cook like that but I would learn to have a kitchen like this."

"I could definitely do some damage in here," he said, sliding a smooth hand along the marble. "You know, wake up on a lazy Sunday, come down here in nothing but my birthday suit and cook a nice breakfast for my lady." He winked again.

"Hopefully you don't burn your man bits off by cooking in the nude."

"You're such a romantic, Bon-Bon."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he led her through the rest of the house. There were three bedrooms and three baths, and the master bedroom was certainly a highlight. Not only was it huge with beautiful windows and a small deck right off it, but there was a built-in bookcase that Bonnie could practically see brimming with her favorites. When they finished the tour, they went back out to the porch and sat down on the swing.

"So? What do you think?" Damon asked.

"I think it's coming along very nicely. It's a beautiful house."

"Could you see yourself living here?"

"Well, yeah. Duh."

"Good. Because this house is yours. Well, ours."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What?"

"This house is my gift to you," he said, looking out on the lawn. "A marital home for us to start our life in together."

"Wow," she said slowly, as his words sunk into her head.

They didn't say anything for a while, just swung in companionable silence. Damon gently swayed them back and forth, while Bonnie tucked her legs underneath her. She looked at the bare lawn, with nothing but big holes and dirt, and she could visualize a garden filled with brightly-colored flowers. Her Grams had a bit of a green thumb, so she could get tips from her on how to keep the plants alive.

She could see herself driving up to the home, and she could see a couple of kids playing in front of the house. She had never been the type of girl who dreamed of a wedding or the perfect man, but she did want to get married and have a family. She'd always had a vague idea of what that would look like: 2 kids, maybe a dog, family vacations. The husband in her mind had always been faceless. But as she sat on the swing, for the first time, she could see Damon as that man.

And it freaked her out.

"Wow," she said again.

"What?"

"It's just..." She chanced a look at him and saw that his azure eyes were focused on her. "Isn't this weird to you? How...easy...this is between us?"

He thought for a moment and shrugged. "Not really."

"Not really? How? We've spent the majority of our relationship yelling and screaming at each other and now, suddenly, we're getting married and fixing up our first house and having kids play in the yard."

She didn't realize that her voice was getting frantic until Damon held up his hands and smirked.

"Easy there, tiger. One thing at a time."

Bonnie took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry. You're right. This is just all so much. Every time I think I've gotten used to the idea of us, something happens and I'm shocked all over again."

Damon narrowed his eyes, studying her quietly for a long moment.

"Are you really that surprised?" he asked quietly. "Don't you feel like there's always been something between us?"

"Uh, yeah. Hatred."

"Mild annoyance at best," he said. "At least on my part."

"You have a funny way of showing mild annoyance," she mumbled.

She turned her attention back to the lawn but felt Damon scoot closer to her until his thigh was on hers. She inched away from him, but he followed. They kept doing that until she was trapped between him and the side of the swing.

"Damon!" she yelled, but kind of laughed too.

"See, this is why I'm not surprised by this development, Judgey. Yes, sure, we yelled and screamed and fought. But we could also be playful with each other. And there is something here, whether you know it or not. As smart as you are, you can be a complete dumbass when it comes to guys."

"Hold up, hold up, hold up," she said, putting her dainty hand between them. "Are you telling me that all this time that you were pining away for Katherine, then Elena, you actually had some kind of feelings for me?"

"Is that what you think I said?"

"Oh my God, you are the most obtuse person I have ever met in my life."

"I like when you use big words like that. Turns me on."

"Ugh!"

Bonnie pushed him away from her and got off the swing, only to have him pull her back down. She landed on his lap, mere centimeters from his gorgeous lips. She couldn't fight the urge to look at them and he purposely licked them.

"You want to know if I had feelings for you?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

Her heart started beating out of her chest and she was eternally grateful that he could no longer hear that.

"I've always liked you, Bonnie. I didn't know how to show that all the time, but it's true. I liked you then and I like you now."

She searched his eyes for any signs of deception or sarcasm but she found only honesty.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly. "My Damon would never admit something like that."

She realized her mistake too late and Damon broke into a full-fledged grin.

"Your Damon, huh? Kind of possessive, are you, Little Bird?"

"Not fair. You know I like that."

"And I plan to use that to my advantage every chance I get." He wrapped his arms around her, effectively trapping her against his body. He kissed the side of her head. "Now stop being such a Negative Nancy and enjoy this. Your parents are alive, your Grams is alive, you're doing the job you've dreamed of. The only bad thing you have to deal with is little old me. And I'm not so terrible, am I?"

Bonnie looked at him, really looked at him, and had to admit that human Damon was not so bad. In fact, he was kind of wonderful. And as scary and weird as that was, it was also kind of nice.

So she fought her natural urge to run away and instead hesitantly relaxed into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. They swung back and forth quietly until she worked up the nerve to answer his question.

"No, Damon. You're not so terrible."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Watching Bonnie complete her last-minute packing for their trip to the Bahamas was like watching a small hurricane rip through his room. As she fretted over what to wear, pack and leave, Damon sat cross-legged on his bed, amused by her antics. Every time it seemed like she had made up her mind about what to wear, she'd hold it up against her body, look in the mirror, frown, and toss it back onto the bed. There were about ten outfits on the bed: rejects that hadn't made their way back into the luggage.

Damon continued to watch, noting how graceful Bonnie was, even in frustration. Her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled with her clothing decisions, but she still flitted about the room like a little fairy. If he didn't know better, he'd think she still had a touch of magic in her.

"How long is this going to take, exactly?" he asked.

Bonnie shot him a death glare. "It's really easy for you to sit there and antagonize me, isn't it?"

"I'm already packed," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah and it only took you like five minutes because you're a boy and nobody cares what you wear."

"News flash, we're going to the beach for a week. Nobody cares what you wear either."

"Yes, they do. And we aren't just going to sit on the beach every day for a week. We'll go to dinner and do activities and maybe even go to a few clubs. I need variety."

Damon rolled his eyes and finally left his place on the bed. He hip-checked her and took her place in front of the luggage. He briefly scanned the things that had been neatly folded, then he ripped everything apart. He threw all of her shorts and all but one pair of jeans on the floor.

"Hey!" she said, picking them up from the ground. "What are you doing?"

"The only thing you need to pack are swimsuits, sexy underwear, dresses and maybe a couple of skirts. You're allowed one pair of jeans, just for emergencies." Bonnie opened her mouth to rebut him and he held up his finger. "And don't even try to tell me that you might go on your period. It's not due for two more weeks."

Her eyes widened in horror, which only made him grin.

"How do you..."

"Your chin breaks out when you're about to menstruate. And judging by the way it's glowing right now, I'd say you're ovulating." He wiggled his eyebrows and said, "better stay away from me before I get you pregnant."

Her mouth hung open in shock and possibly rage and she smacked him several times in the arm before pushing him.

"Just don't talk anymore," she finally said.

He shrugged but couldn't stop smiling. Score one for Damon.

"But seriously, as much as I enjoy watching you fret over this unnecessarily, we need to get a move on it if we're going to make it to the airport."

"We have plenty of time."

Just as she said that, Stefan knocked on the door.

"We head out in ten minutes!" he called.

Damon pointed at the door and Bonnie really kicked it into overdrive. She tossed a few more things into her bag, including two pairs of the pants that he'd thrown onto the floor. She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to say something, then she ran into the bathroom and gathered all her toiletries. He casually carried his small suitcase and backpack downstairs and out to Donovan's SUV. Matt and Caroline were already in the front seats, smiling and laughing like the perfect little blonde couple. Damon was secretly happy that Caroline and Matt were an item in this world. He much preferred Donovan to Tyler Lockwood.

"Hey," Caroline said cheerily. "Where's Bonnie?"

"Packing like we're never coming back," he said, as he tossed his bags into the last row of back seats.

Caroline chuckled. "Oh my God, isn't she the worst? Tell her all she needs are skimpy swimsuits and slutty dresses."

Damon grinned and it took everything in him not to call her Vampire Barbie. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

He walked back inside, sliding by Elena and Stefan on their way out, and jogged back upstairs, where Bonnie was finally zipping up her bag.

"Ready to hit the road, Munchkin?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Make yourself useful and take my bag, please."

Damon yanked her bag off the bed and damn near broke his arm. "What do you have in here, Bennett? Blocks of concrete?"

"What's wrong, baby?" she said with a sarcastic smile. "Too much for your non-vamp body?"

She winked and slithered past him and he did one last check of the room before he walked outside behind her. He loaded her bag into the trunk and then crawled to the back, where Bonnie was already waiting. Stefan and Elena were in the row ahead of him, while the Blonde Bombers were still in the front. They did one last check to make sure everything and everyone were accounted for and then they were off to the airport.

From his position in the backseat, Damon got a very good look at Stefan and Elena as they snuggled close together and Elena rested her head on Stefan's shoulder. Every now and then, they would kiss or lightly bite each other somewhere and then giggle. Damon would have been lying if he said it didn't bother him to see Elena with someone else, his brother no less, after he had worked so hard to get her. There was some small part of him that wanted to reach between the lovebirds and separate them.

But that part was smaller than he would have expected. On some level deep down, he was tired of the rat race with Elena. Loving her was so much work and it always came at a price. He was almost happy to have a break.

His eyes slid to his left, where Bonnie was a few inches away, typing away on her phone. He wondered who she was texting, considering that all of her closest friends were in the car, and he scooted a little closer to her. He peeked over her shoulder and saw that she was texting her parents. For some reason, he was relieved.

"We're on vacation now, ya know," he said into her ear and she jumped just a little. "No phones allowed."

She turned to him and he looked into her hazel eyes. "I don't think texting my parents counts."

"Texting anybody but me is in direct violation of the pre-honeymoon code."

"You have an awful lot of rules for this 'pre-honeymoon,'" she said, using air quotes. "No pants, no clothing to cover my legs in any way, no texting..."

"Now you're getting it, Judgey."

Without warning, he bent his body into the backseat and rested his head in Bonnie's lap. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her legs like a cat getting comfortable and he smiled to himself, knowing that she wouldn't make him move for fear of causing a scene. Her body tensed up a little bit, but as they rode on, she relaxed more and more. Damon rubbed his cheeks on her jeans-covered thighs, wishing that she had opted for a skirt so he could be on her skin instead. Her skin always smelled so good. But he supposed that even with jeans, it wasn't so bad. He especially liked the way her thighs jiggled with the movement of the car.

He was actually starting to doze off as he tuned out the sound of chatter between the girls when Bonnie's dainty fingers grazed the back of his neck. His eyes snapped open and he craned his head around long enough to see that Bonnie was facing forward, laughing at something Elena had said. She didn't even seem to realize that her fingers traveled into his scalp and scratched lightly, and he almost wiggled his feet like a puppy getting his ears rubbed. She kept doing it and he had to fight not to make a sound. It was inevitable, though. He had a thing for having his hair played with and his scalp massaged. He buried his head in the crevice of her thighs again and before he could stop it, he moaned.

It wasn't a loud moan. But there was no doubt that Bonnie had felt the reverberations because she stopped her movements. When he chanced a look at her, her eyebrow was cocked upwards and she had the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"Do you...like that?" she asked, low enough for only him to hear.

"No," he said immediately. He didn't know why he lied. It was just his automatic response when he felt cornered. Or exposed.

"No?" she asked, her smile growing. "Because I'm pretty sure I heard you moan."

"I was clearing my throat."

Bonnie had a full-blown grin on her face. "Aww, you're just like a little kitty cat."

"Shut up."

"Damon Salvatore, my little kitten. Maybe that's what I'll call you."

"If you do, I'll kill you."

She leaned down just a little bit and said in a low voice that he could only describe as sultry, "here, kitty, kitty."

Damon was equal parts annoyed and aroused. Her voice was so sexy in that husky whisper, but he couldn't let her get away with calling him a kitten. So despite his deepest desire to continue to rest on her soft thighs and let her stroke his hair, he moved away from her and sat up straight. He frowned but Bonnie laughed. Really laughed. She threw her head back and laughed loudly in a way he had never seen before. Elena and Caroline asked what was so funny, but she couldn't catch her breath long enough to tell them. He wanted to be annoyed or irritated that she was laughing at his expense, but he had never seen her so carefree and, perhaps, happy.

His frown melted and he allowed himself to smile. When Bonnie finally got herself together, he nudged her with his elbow and said, "meow."

...

The flight to the Bahamas was pleasant and once they landed, they climbed into their rented SUV and followed the directions to their home for the week. They had foregone the typical resort route and instead opted for a villa, which was nothing short of amazing. Even Damon, a man who had seen and lived damn everywhere, was slightly awestruck at the pristine place that they could call home for the next several days.

The home was a vision of stone and glass, with three enormous bedrooms and corresponding large bathrooms. The kitchen was a chef's dream, and the living room was big enough to host a large party and still have room left over. But the most impressive feature was outside: the infinity pool with a view of the ocean. A couple of perfectly placed trees on either side of the property made it look like it might actually be paradise.

Damon and Bonnie wondered through the home together until they came to a bedroom. A California king-sized bed was perched a couple of feet off the ground with some built-up steps. Soft, sheer curtains were tied to each of the four posts, ready to be loosened and provide the smallest amount of privacy. Damon couldn't stop himself from imagining Bonnie on top of him, moving fluidly and gracefully, and the silhouette of that from the curtains.

"Well I guess you finally have enough space that you won't have to snuggle me all night," she teased, marching up the steps and falling back-first onto the bed.

"In your dreams, lover," he winked. "You know you like my sexy body pressed against your still hot but less sexy body."

"Ha," she said with a roll of her eyes. She closed her eyes and sighed. "This might be the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on. I think I want to stay here forever."

Damon rested next to her, also on his back, and he turned his head so that he could look at her.

"Okay, but you have to let me stay, too," he said.

She rolled her head to him and smiled. "Okay," she said with a shrug.

"POOL TIME!" Caroline screamed as she burst into their room. She stopped in her tracks and her mouth dropped. "Oh my God, that bed looks like it was MADE to be fucked in. Bonnie, girl, I hope you're on the pill. Anyway, pool party. Now. Outside." She spun on her heels and clapped her hands. "Now, people!" she called over her shoulder.

Bonnie started to get up, but Damon pulled her back down and she landed on top of him. She looked annoyed but he wiggled his eyebrows.

"What are you doing?" she groaned.

"Didn't you hear the woman? This bed was made to be fucked in. So let's fuck."

"You're really crass. Did you know that?"

"One of my many talents."

"Ugh." She punched his chest and removed herself from his grasp.

He sat up on his elbows and watched as she bent over her luggage in search of a swimsuit.

"I can feel your eyes on my ass, you know," she said.

"You like it."

She flipped him the middle finger and then disappeared in the bathroom with some little scraps of fabric. Damon slid off the bed and stripped out of his clothes right there in the middle of the room. He pulled on a pair of nondescript black swim trunks and walked out to the kitchen, where Stefan and Matt were pouring drinks.

"My kinda party," he said.

He knew that Bonnie liked tequila, so he mixed up a girly concoction for her and a bourbon on ice for himself. He carried them out to the pool and dipped a toe in. The sun had already begun to set and the water was actually kind of cold, so he instead opted for the whirlpool. Not only was it warmer, but it was smaller and that meant Bonnie would have to be closer to him. Maybe even on top of him. The thought made him smile.

The other guys joined him and one by one, the girls arrived. Caroline first. Then Elena. Both of them perched themselves on their boyfriends' laps. Damon was happy, as Bonnie now had a standard to meet. His lap was more than ready for her. She finally arrived, dressed in a very skimpy black bathing suit that only hid the most important parts. Damon's eyes zeroed in on her face, where her hair was piled messily atop her head. Then his gaze fell to her chest and her full breasts jiggled a little with every step she took. He looked at her flat stomach, then her juicy thighs and dainty feet.

God, she was hot. He knew it before but it was like The Other Side really agreed with her. Had her body always been that banging? Or was he just now noticing because she always hid it under flowing clothes?

"Whoa, Bon, you look hot!" Matt said enthusiastically.

Damon fought the urge to punch his face.

"Thanks," she said with a shy grin.

And then she did something that Damon would never forgive her for. She turned and slid into the whirlpool, using the rail and showing off her perfect butt. He wanted so desperately to reach out and smack it, grab it, bury his face in it. God damn that Bennett witch. No magic and she was still hypnotizing him without even trying.

"What are we drinking?" she asked as she faced the group again.

"Gin and tonic," Stefan said.

"Vodka and cranberry," from Elena. Matt was having a Jack and Coke, Caroline a pineapple and vodka. Bonnie's landed on Damon, who was dangling a drink in her face.

"Come sit on Daddy's lap and find out," he said with a little smirk.

He could tell that she wanted to say something smart but she bit her tongue. She had to play along with the group, so to his utter delight, she walked over to him and eased onto his lap. He grinned and allowed her to take the drink from him. He sipped his drink in one hand and with the other, he adjusted Bonnie until her tush was nestled right on top of his crotch. Right where he wanted it. She shot him a look but he only smiled in response.

And that's how they sat for the next hour. The group talked, laughed and drank. Bonnie became noticeably more relaxed and even rested her head against his shoulder and rubbed her nose in his neck once or twice. He liked that almost as much as the head rubs. He was able to sneak in a few kisses: one on the forehead, a couple of on the cheek, and when she was sitting up, a few on the back of her neck. He could tell she liked those by the way she shivered a little.

One hour turned into two, and the conversation began to wane. Elena yawned, and Caroline didn't even pretend to be interested anymore.

"Well, guys, this has been fun but I'm tired and horny. But mostly horny. So see ya. Let's go, Matt."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a big grin.

Elena and Stefan soon followed suit, which left Damon and Bonnie alone in the hot tub. Despite having more room, Bonnie didn't move from his lap and he rubbed her thighs, where he has hands had been resting for quite a while.

"Sleepy?" he asked into her ear.

"A little."

"Wanna play a game?"

"A game? With you?" She chuckled. "Sounds dangerous."

"It is." He nipped her neck and she chuckled again. "You're drunk."

"Yep."

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth or Dare?" she asked, moving her head to the side so she could give him an incredulous look. "What are we? 12?"

"It's fun if you know how to play."

"I'll bet." She rested her head against his chest and looked out at the ocean. After a moment of silence, she said, "truth."

"Good girl. Okay, truth. On a scale of 1 to 10, sex with Jeremy is a...?"

"3," she blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth and Damon guffawed.

"3?!"

"Shh! Jesus, do you want everyone to hear?"

"Okay, sorry. A 3, though, Bonnie. Damn. A kid with no dick could please you better than that."

"Give him a break," she whined. "Unlike you, he hasn't had sex with tens of thousands of women. He's still learning."

"Oh please. Why do girls do that?"

"Do what?"

"Come up with an excuse when a guy doesn't know how to screw them right. If he sucks in bed, he sucks in bed. Don't sugarcoat it."

Bonnie frowned for a minute, then said, "he sucks in bed."

"No shit."

She pinched his leg. "Okay, fine. Your turn."

"Truth."

"Sex with Elena is a...?"

"9," he said automatically.

He could see Bonnie's jaw drop. "Wow," she said quietly.

"It's not a 10," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but a 9 is pretty damn close! Who can compete with that?"

A slow smile tugged at Damon's lips and Bonnie turned to him and frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you trying to compete, Little Bird?" he asked in a low voice. Her eyes widened a bit and she started to deny it but he stopped her by burying his face in her neck. He sucked a healthy chunk of her skin into his mouth and he felt her body tense. "Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "I'm sure once you let me between these perfect legs, it'll be a ten."

She whimpered, and then he was hard. Just like that. He'd been a good boy all night, but that sound was his undoing. He knew there were a lot more sounds he wanted to hear come from her mouth and the visions flashing through his head only made him harder.

Bonnie clearly noticed because she had moved a little in his lap and once she felt the trouser snake waiting for her, she froze and her eyes popped open. He wanted to say something snarky, like remind her that she knew what a hard penis felt like. But then again, Jeremy was a 3 in bed so maybe she didn't know. Poor girl.

He'd teach her.

"I'm going to bed," she said, quickly scrambling off of him. She climbed out of the side of the whirlpool and the sight of her dripping wet butt did absolutely nothing for his boner. He watched as she hurried to get a towel around her body, then disappeared inside. Damon sighed and rested his head against the side of the pool. His erection didn't diminish after a few minutes, and he looked down at it through the water.

"Bonnie Bennett, huh?" he asked. "Who'd have thunk?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Bonnie._

The soft whisper of her name caused Bonnie to awaken the next morning. She sat up and looked around the room, momentarily disoriented. It took a moment for her to realize that she was on a vacation, in an opulent rental home. Her eyes fell on Damon, who was asleep with his back to her all the way on the other side of the bed. Considering that she had woken up to him snuggling her every morning since their arrival on the Other Side, it was strange to see him so far away. The space in the California King bed felt like a sea of distance and for a brief moment, Bonnie kind of missed having him close.

She thought back to the source of the whisper of her name and chalked it up to a dream. She rested on her side and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't. She adjusted her position a few times, until she was on her right side, looking at Damon's back. She watched as his body slowly went up and down with his breathing and the events of the previous night came back to her. Her cheeks flushed when she recalled Damon getting excited underneath her. She really wasn't sure why she had reacted the way she had. He was right, after all; she had felt an erection before. But never from Damon Salvatore. Half the time, she wasn't even sure that he realized she was a woman. He always seemed to over look her, only interested in what she could do for him.

But then again, Damon had had sex with many, many women, including both Caroline and Elena. It wasn't like he was a very choosy lover. Surely, his physical response didn't mean he was attracted to her.

Or so she told herself.

When she was unable to find sleep again, she slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, which was fit for a Queen. She brushed her teeth and stepped into the shower that was big enough to comfortably fit several people. Shower-heads spouted from every direction: along the sides and overhead. As Bonnie stood in the spray, she felt like she was being massaged from every angle and it was glorious. If she ever made it back to her real life, her first priority would be to invest in an upgraded shower.

Thirty minutes later, she finally turned off the water and stepped out to dry herself. She had just wrapped the towel around her slim body when the bathroom door opened and Damon walked in. She tightened the fabric around her and when their eyes met, she expected him to say something inappropriate and disgusting.

Instead, he said, "oh, sorry, didn't know you were in here." And then he left.

Bonnie stared at the closed door and found herself confused. When had Damon ever turned down an opportunity to make her feel uncomfortable? She was in the bathroom, naked, with only a towel to cover herself, and he acted like he didn't even care. She supposed she should be grateful. She was constantly asking him to behave himself and stop leering at her like a pervert. But now that he'd actually followed her instructions, she felt weird.

And maybe even a little bit disappointed.

Why the hell should she be disappointed, she asked herself. It wasn't possible that she actually liked his innuendo and sly remarks and dirty smirks. Despite her strongest attempts to convince herself that she was just surprised by his actions, a strange feeling settled into her stomach. First, he'd slept on the other side of the bed and foregone their nightly cuddling. Then he'd walked out of the bathroom like he wasn't even interested in her.

He was ignoring her, and she didn't like it. But she'd be damned if she said anything about it. So she lifted her chin and nodded to herself in the mirror. Two could play that game.

She combed her wet hair and sprayed in a couple of products so it would hold its soft waviness. She let it hang and finished her morning care routine. She marched to the bedroom, intent on ignoring Damon completely, only to find that he wasn't there. She frowned a little but then got dressed in a loose-fitting beach cover-up top and short shorts. When she went to the kitchen, she saw that nearly everyone else was already awake and having breakfast.

"Morning, Bonnie," Caroline said with a huge smile. She was serving up plates of fruit and waffles like she was Martha Stewart, even though she couldn't cook worth a damn. She looked so proud at having cut the fruit evenly and not burned the waffles in the toaster.

"Morning," Bonnie said to everyone. She cast an eye at Damon, who was sitting at the breakfast table. He flashed her a small smile but then returned to his food. No 'hello,' no 'good morning,' no 'hey sweet cheeks' or any other annoying term of endearment. He seemed irritated with her and for the life of her, Bonnie couldn't figure out why. Was he mad at her for leaving the hot tub the night before? That didn't really seem like Damon's style but then again, childishness was a calling card of his.

"Hey everybody," Elena said as she stumbled into the kitchen. Her hair was mussed and she looked like she had either just woken up from a killer hangover or a good screw. Judging from the grin on Stefan's face, Bonnie guessed it was the latter. "Oh my God, that looks soooo good," she said, grabbing a large plate of fruit and diving into it like she was starving.

"Jeez, Stefan, what did you do to her?" Damon asked.

A flash of jealousy passed through Bonnie at Damon's apparent concern for Elena's well-being.

"Just one of those mornings, I guess," Stefan said, with a happy shrug. "So, what's on the agenda for today, folks?"

"I don't know about you guys but I bet there's some killer fishing here," Matt said. "I've been looking at fishing trips and we could probably catch a half-day trip if we leave soon."

"I'm in," Stefan said.

Bonnie looked at Damon, who mulled it over and shrugged. "Sure, I'd like to fish." She raised an eyebrow at him but decided against asking about it since she should probably know, as his fiance, that he liked to fish.

"Ew, no thanks," Caroline said, turning up her nose. "Fish stink. And you'll smell like salty sea dogs. I didn't come here to get smelly."

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, yeah, pass for me, too."

"Same," Elena said, taking a short break from her fruit demolition.

"So I guess it's just the guys, then," Matt said, puffing out his chest. "You ladies can stay here and make us dinner."

Caroline punched him playfully and the six of them sat around and chatted for a few minutes. Bonnie was painfully aware that Damon was not looking her way or saying anything unnecessary to her and it was starting to piss her off. When he finished his breakfast, he excused himself to shower and get ready. Bonnie tried to stay in her seat but after about ten minutes, she couldn't help it anymore. She had to know what his problem was.

She left her friends in the kitchen and went to her bedroom. She heard Damon in the shower so she waited for him in the bedroom, arms folded and frown in place. The water stopped soon after and he appeared in the bedroom, a gorgeous package of wet black hair and toned muscles and a very low-hanging towel. Bonnie's eyes may have traveled up and down his body a few times before she spoke up.

"What's your problem?" she asked.

Damon's dark eyebrows furrowed. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. You've been acting weird all morning."

"No I haven't."

He walked by her and started pulling clothes out of his luggage.

"Yes, you have. You slept on the other side of the bed and you would hardly look at me or talk to me at breakfast. What, are you mad because I left last night? Because if that's it, that's kind of shitty of you. Just because I'm probably the only girl in the history of the world to turn down the infamous Damon Dick doesn't mean you have to be an asshole."

Her anger vibrated off of her and she walked past him and grabbed the door handle. Before she could walk out, though, Damon spun her around and pushed her up against the door. Then he pressed his wet, barely-covered body to her. His eyes bore into hers and she was suddenly very nervous.

"FIrst of all," he said lowly, "I wasn't 'avoiding' you. I was trying to give you space since I obviously made you uncomfortable last night. It's called being a gentleman. But I suppose since you've never met one, it would be easy for you to mistake that for being an asshole."

Bonnie opened her mouth but he put pinched her lips shut with his fingers. Her eyes narrowed at him but he kept going.

"Secondly, it's good to know that you missed snuggling me and want my constant attention. I'll file that away for future reference."

"I don't..."

"Despite all your protests to the contrary, your little display in here today lets me know that you do, in fact, want my attention and while I think it's utterly adorable, next time you want some of my lovin', just ask me."

He grinned, then took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. Her eyes widened and her heart thumped hard when he started to very slowly guide that hand down his stomach.

"And lastly," he said in a low tone, "nobody turns down the Damon Dick. Ever. It may take a little more work for some and you, being a judgey little witch, will probably require all of my skill. But don't worry. We'll get there. Because you want to." Bonnie's throat went completely dry when he placed her hand on the bulge in his towel. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying very hard not to envision exactly what was underneath. She could tell from sitting on it that it was a good size. But now that it was in her hand, not even fully hard, she knew it was big. And she accidentally got aroused.

Still, she found a way to do what she did best: deny everything Damon said.

"I don't want to," she said breathlessly.

"No?" he asked, his lips on her ear.

She managed to shake her head.

"Then why is your hand still on my cock?"

Bonnie's eyes popped open and she looked down. Her hand was still on his junk but his hand wasn't holding it there. She immediately pulled away and pushed him.

"You're gross," she said. It was the best she could come up with. She knew it was lame and clearly a lie but oh well.

Damon laughed. "Yeah, okay, Little Bird. Whatever you say."

She really had nothing else she could say so she fumbled around with the door and left the room, happy to be out of his suffocating presence. He was so smug and stupid and she just wanted to slap him. She could tell from the slight ache between her legs that wasn't all she wanted to do to him, but this Damon. That was never going to happen, no matter what realm they were in. He was off limits and they were just weren't like that.

Or so she told herself.

...

Bonnie hung out with Caroline and Elena for the rest of the day. They talked, ate, watched TV and did their nails. Although for Caroline and Elena it probably felt like a normal day, for Bonnie, it was a very welcome blast from the past. She couldn't remember the last time she just hung out with her best friends, drama- and man-free. They were lounging on the plush sofas in the early evening when the guys finally returned, dirty and smelly and boasting about the large fish they caught.

"And that's not all we got," Matt said with a big grin. He produced a Ziploc bag full of marijuana and Caroline gasped.

"Matt! Where'd you get that?"

"Our tour guide offered it to me and it was only like $10. For all this? Are you kidding?"

Caroline thought about it for a second, then said, "I'll get all the snacks ready. We're gonna need them."

"Well, that was a quick change of attitude," Elena said with a chuckle.

"But nobody's smoking anything until you guys take showers. You're stinking up the whole house," Caroline announced.

Matt and Stefan grumbled but agreed. Bonnie caught eyes with Damon, who arched an eyebrow and silently asked if she wanted to join him. She flipped him the middle finger and he mouthed, "you wish." She rolled her eyes and he smiled, and Bonnie kind of smiled, too. Fighting with Damon was familiar.

She and the girls prepared snacks, mostly chips and dip and other stoner food, until the guys returned. They all sat around the couches and Damon plopped down right next to Bonnie. He had changed into black pajama pants and a tight-fitting T-shirt. His hair was still wet and he smelled like his soap. As Matt rolled up a joint and Caroline turned on some music, Damon nudged Bonnie with his elbow.

"Are you going to partake, Judgey?" he whispered. "I thought you'd be too high and mighty for such activities."

"I guess you thought wrong."

When Matt was finished perfecting the blunt, he lit it and took a long pull. He coughed a couple of times, then passed it to Caroline. It made the rounds through the group, until it came to Damon. Before he took his turn, he patted his lap.

"Come here," he said to Bonnie. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna shotgun you. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes," she said dryly. "I'm not that much of a nerd, you know."

"Well come prove it to me."

She hesitated only for a moment, then climbed onto his lap with her legs on either side of him. She watched as he took a long drag and held it in his mouth. He gently grabbed her chin and brought her mouth to his. Their lips grazed and Bonnie opened up. Damon kept his eyes on hers as he slowly released the stream of smoke from his mouth to hers. Their lips formed one connected circle and Bonnie's eyes fluttered shut when his stare became too intense. When he pulled away, she closed her mouth and held the smoke for several seconds, then let it stream from her nostrils. Immediately, she felt a buzz.

"That was hot," Elena said behind her. Bonnie opened her eyes and looked at her friend, who already looked high. She returned her attention to Damon, who had a little smirk on his face.

"What she said."

He passed the weed to Matt and the circle started all over again. Damon gently rubbed Bonnie's thighs and said, "no coughing or anything. I'm impressed, Bennett."

"I'm not as good as you think, Damon," she responded. Her voice was already a little huskier than before and her speech was slowed. Whatever was in that weed was strong and she knew a couple more hits like that one and she was going to be on Cloud Nine.

"I certainly hope not," he whispered and gave her thighs a little squeeze.

They puffed and passed three more times. Bonnie was high as a kite and began to sway on Damon's lap, letting the music in the background infiltrate her body. She could see the music and feel the words and life was feeling pretty good.

"What the fuck was in that?" Matt asked, laughing at his own question.

For some reason, his question and laughter set off Caroline, then Elena. The three of them laughed hysterically while Bonnie was still in her music trance. This happened every time they smoked, which had only been a few times, all of which after Grams's passing. Caroline and Elena always got silly while Bonnie got introspective. And sexy. And horny.

When she came out of her music haze, she looked at Damon, who was staring at her like she was a pole dancer.

"Don't stop now, Judgey," he said with a smile. An actual smile, not a smirk.

"Your eyes are red," she said. She grabbed both sides of his face and brought her nose to his, so she could look even harder. "I like them better when they're blue. They're so pretty."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You know they're pretty," she said, swaying again. "All of you is pretty. You know what I thought the first time I saw you?"

"Tell me," he said gently.

"You were soooo fucking sexy," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She buried her hands in his hair and moaned at how soft it was. "But you wanted Elena. They always want Elena."

She didn't feel sad about it. She was just stating a fact. She continued to run her hands through Damon's hair, then she scratched his scalp and he hummed in approval.

"Maybe at first," he said. "But you're much more interesting than she is."

"Mm hm," she said with a shrug. "You say that now. You didn't seem to think so when we were in our real world."

"I was stupid in our real world. I'm awake now."

"Why couldn't you have been like this when we were alive? Instead, you were a jackass and made me hate you for five years."

She slid her hands out of his hair and down his jaw. Her eyes landed on his lips and her fingers followed suit. She ran her index finger along his soft pink lips.

"And what about now?" Damon asked, drawing her out of her gaze.

"What about it?"

"You said you hated me for five years. How do you feel about me now?"

Bonnie sat back a little bit, taking him in. She was quiet, letting his question bounce around her brain for a while. She knew the answer but a small part of her was demanding that she not say it out loud. She knew that she was high and in danger of admitting something she didn't want to admit, but she couldn't stop herself. Not when she felt so free.

"Now..." she started. She scooted further up his lap and locked her legs around him. She felt his crotch rubbing against hers. She encased his face with her hands and pulled him so close that their lips were touching again. "Now, I just want to sit on your face."

Damon's red-stained eyes widened and his throat bobbed. His grip on her thighs tightened and he said, "that can be arranged."

"You know what I wish?" she continued with absolutely no feelings of shame. She leaned down to his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth. "I wish you still had your fangs," she whispered. "I wish you would sink your teeth into me and drink my blood and tell me that it's the best you've ever had." Damon's grip tightened almost to the point of pain but she didn't care. She wiggled in his lap and felt his little friend coming to life again. "You can't be rough like last time, though." She licked the side of his neck. "Be soft. And gentle. Make me like it. Make me beg you to feed from me again."

And then she bit his neck and he released such an embarrassingly loud moan that the other four halted their heated debate about cheddar cheese and looked into their direction.

"You guys know you have a room for that stuff, right?" Stefan asked with a chuckle. "No need to bang on the couch."

Bonnie extracted herself from Damon's neck and offered an insincere apology. When she looked at Damon, he looked ready to burst. She had pushed all his buttons and knowing the effect she had on him made her incredibly smug. She gave his cheek a little smack and nodded in the direction of his straining pajama pants.

"You might want to go take care of that."

And then she crawled off of him and headed for the chips and dip that were calling her name. She chanced a look back at him and laughed when he covered his crotch with a pillow and muttered, "little witch." They locked eyes and he said, "game on."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Great feedback is like food for a writer's soul. Please continue to leave your thoughts because I really appreciate them. As you can see by the rapid-fire updates, I'm having fun with this one. I don't tend to give anything away about my stories but since someone asked, I will say that Bonnie is NOT dreaming. The life on the Other Side is actually happening. Thanks again.**

Chapter 6

Bonnie's head was foggy the next morning, and the blazing sun wasn't helping. It wasn't even noon yet and the temperature was already in the nineties. Bonnie would have preferred to stay at the villa, nursing her marijuana headache, but Caroline had roused everyone early and insisted that they hit the beach. "You only live once, people! Sleep when you're dead!" she'd said. Bonnie had found herself entangled with Damon on the couch, their legs and arms wrapped up in each other like pretzels. She had very vague memories of shotgunning with him, then sitting on his lap, and maybe dancing. Everything beyond that was a blur, and for that, she was eternally grateful. There was no telling what she'd said or done.

At least she hadn't woken up naked.

And luckily for her, Damon seemed equally unaware of what had transpired between them. He hadn't mentioned anything that happened. No snarky remarks or dirty smiles. Bonnie was sure she had done something embarrassing but as long as he didn't remember it, all was good.

"You okay there, Judgey?" he asked as they settled into one of the few vacant spaces on the beach. They laid down their towels and put up some big umbrellas and popped open the cooler. He offered her a beer but she opted for water instead.

"Yeah, just kind out of of it."

"That stuff last night was pretty strong," he agreed. He sat down next to her and pulled off his tank top. His skin was so pale that he practically glowed.

"God, remind me not to take off my sunglasses. You're blinding me with all that pastiness."

"Ha, ha," he said dryly. "For your information, I'm capable of getting a very nice tan."

"I hope so. When's the last time you went outside? 1865?"

He gave her a phony smile and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"We can't all be blessed with rich, melanin-laced skin, Princess. Don't be mean."

"Aw, I'm sorry, lover. Did I hurt your little feelings? What can I do to make it better?"

Damon looked her over, his eyes scanning her body in her tiny, barely there yellow bikini.

"You can slather my pasty skin with suntan lotion."

Bonnie quirked an eyebrow. "Sounds like a cheap way to get my hands on you."

"It is," he said with a devilish grin. He leaned closer and whispered, "it's what a good fiance would do."

She rolled her eyes playfully but agreed, as long as he agreed to return the favor. She dug the suntan lotion out of her bag, pulled off her see-through cover-up and discarded her big floppy hat. She scooted a little further up her towel to make room for Damon, who was more than happy to take a spot in between her open legs. He hummed when she covered her hands with lotion and rubbed it into his skin. She started at his neck, then went to his shoulders and arms, then smoothed it into his back.

"That feels nice, buttercup," he commented as his head hung, relaxed.

"I've been told I give good massages."

"And who told you that? The Gilbert boy?"

"As a matter of fact, he did."

"What else did you do with him?" he asked, quirking his head to the side to try to look at her. "Besides give him good massages only to be rewarded with lackluster sex?"

Bonnie smacked his arm. "I should have never told you that."

"You really shouldn't have. I'll never let you forget it."

"Yeah, I gathered that."

"Answer the question, Bon-Bon. What else did you do with him?"

"Why? Jealous?"

"Maybe."

She rolled her eyes and dug into his shoulders a little harder. She was trying to hurt him but he seemed to like it.

"Come on, tell me," he said, pinching her leg.

"I am most certainly not telling you anything else. You can't be trusted with secrets."

"I didn't tell anyone else, did I?" She begrudgingly admitted he was right, and he kept pestering her until she finally cracked.

"Well, what do you think we did, Damon? All the regular stuff couples do. You know we had sex so surely you know we did all the stuff leading up to that."

She wiped her hands off and Damon turned around and placed his legs on top of hers.

"So...let me get this straight. You and Baby Gilbert went down on each other."

"Oh my God!" Bonnie groaned. She covered her face and wondered how she had gotten into this idiotic conversation. She looked around to make sure none of her friends were in earshot and when she saw them all in the ocean or on the shore, she continued. "Yes, we went down on each other. Why is that so hard to believe? Just because I'm not spreading my legs for everyone I meet doesn't mean I'm a prude!"

"Oh, trust me, I knew you weren't a prude after last night," he said with a satisfied grin.

And she immediately froze.

"What happened last night?" she asked. "What do you remember?"

"Everything."

"And?! What happened?"

"Don't worry, Bennett. You didn't take your clothes off or perform any sexual acts for me. Unfortunately. Turn around so I can do you."

Her eyebrows shot off her head and he rolled his eyes and held up the lotion.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," he said.

She followed his instructions and turned around and he slid right behind her so that she was encased in his legs.

"Tell me what I did," she said.

"Nothing, really. You danced a little in my lap but other than that, you didn't DO much of anything."

She knew Damon well enough to know that just because she didn't do anything, didn't mean she didn't say anything.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Still waiting on the entire story."

Damon was quiet for a moment as he put lotion on his hands and then gently spread it along her shoulders. She was surprised by how forceful yet soft he was and she momentarily forgot her line of questioning because the rubdown felt so good. He wasn't just putting the lotion on her; he was massaging her, digging his thumbs into her skin with just the right amount of pressure.

"Mm," she moaned before she could stop it. She could practically hear Damon smiling.

"Feel good?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject," she said. "What do you remember?"

He leaned down to her ear and she jumped slightly when she felt his breath on her lobe. "You said that I'm pretty and you thought I was, and I quote, sooo fucking sexy when you first saw me."

Bonnie's cheeks flushed a little. That was all true but she couldn't believe she'd told him that!

"And?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Aaaaand," he said as he continued down her arms, working his magic hands along her flesh, "other things."

"Damon..."

"Shhh, let me do this right now and I'll tell you later. This is a vacation and you're supposed to relax. You're all tense and worked up."

"Because you won't tell me how I humiliated myself!"

"You didn't. Trust me. Now shut up and let me rub you."

She wanted to argue with him but for once, she shut up. His hands felt too good to worry about anything else and after a few minutes, her body was limp as he manipulated her muscles. He seemed to know exactly where to touch her, exactly how hard. She was in a full state of relaxation when he was at her ear again.

"I need to undo this so I can get all the spots," he whispered. And he tugged on the strings of her swimsuit.

Bonnie turned her head halfway so they locked eyes and she raised an eyebrow. He gave her his best innocent look, which still managed to look completely untrustworthy.

"No funny business," she said and pointed her finger at him.

"Scout's honor."

"Ha. If you were a Boy Scout, then I'm Mary Poppins."

She folded her arms in front of her so the swimsuit was caught there after he untied it at the neck and back. He continued his massage for several more minutes until she was practically asleep in his arms. When he was finished, she sighed and relaxed against his chest.

"You want to know what else you said last night?" he asked.

"Mm hm."

"Well, you'll have to catch me first."

It took a moment before she comprehended what he said, but the next thing she knew, he yanked her swimsuit top and ran away towards the ocean.

"What the..."

Bonnie slapped her hands to her chest. The same treacherous hands that had slipped down during his skilled massage. She covered her breasts with both arms and searched for her cover-up and bag, only to find that they, too, were missing. She snapped her head to the ocean, where Damon was standing about knee-deep, holding all her items like trophies.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled.

"Come on out, Bon-Bon! The water's fine!"

She wanted to send him an aneurysm or set his body on fire but she couldn't. Her eyes zipped around for her friends, only to find that Stefan and Elena were walking hand-in-hand along the shore and Caroline was at the bar, too far away to help. Bonnie saw no choice but to give in to Damon's demands and walk to the water, topless.

"Damon, I swear to God," she called to him as she began the walk of shame.

She kept her arms and hands securely on her chest and braved the water quickly, even though it was a little cold at first. She immediately sank down to her neck so she didn't give any children an eyeful.

"If you get my stuff wet, I'll kill you," she told him in a menacing tone.

But he only smiled. "I didn't think you'd come."

"You thought I would just sit there without a top?!"

"I wasn't sure. But I commend your bravery."

"Give me my top back, you jackass."

"All in good time."

"At least put my bag back where it belongs."

"Okay. Stay put, darling."

He winked and jogged out of the water. He made a show of putting her bag and cover-up on her towel, taking the time to fold the towel and make sure everything in the bag was perfectly dry. When he joined her again in the water, he held her swimsuit top behind his back.

"Now, would you like for me to continue the tale of last night?"

"I would LIKE for you to give my top back!"

"I will, I promise."

"You also promised that there wouldn't be any funny business. So pardon me if I think your promises are made of horse shit."

"I love when you curse. Did you know that? I love to see those dirty words come out of your pretty little mouth." Bonnie narrowed her eyes and lips at him, conveying that play time was over. "Okay fine. The rest of your salacious confessions last night included a juicy tidbit about you wishing I still had fangs so I could bite you. I believe you said that you wanted me to bite you nice and slow and make you like it."

Bonnie put on her best bewildered face. "Is that it? Is that what you're gloating about? I was high, Damon. I don't want you to bite me and I never did. Once was enough, thanks."

Damon took a step towards her and she floated back a little.

"I think you're lying, Little Bird. I think you get off on the idea of me biting you and begging you for more of your delicious witch blood."

Bonnie hoped like hell that her face didn't give away how right he was.

"Oh, please," she said as if she didn't care. "Give me my top back."

"Come get it."

He dangled it for her to grab and she reached for it, only for him to grab her by the waist in one hand and put the top behind his back in the other. He crushed her to him, bare chest to bare chest, and Bonnie couldn't stop her nipples from hardening.

"Ooh, hello there, my lovelies," he said with a giant smirk.

"It's cold," she said dryly.

"Not that cold. Those aren't cold nipples. Those are I-want-you nipples."

"Do you think your human balls would hurt if I kneed them right now?"

Damon frowned and handed over the top. "You're no fun."

Bonnie tried to get it back on by herself, but she couldn't tie the strings around her back. She groaned in frustration and reluctantly turned to Damon.

"Do it right," she ordered, and held up his hands in defense. She felt him tie the strings correctly and then she tried to swim away but he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest.

"You also said that you want to sit on my face," he whispered in her ear.

Her skin felt like someone had pricked it with a thousand needles. She had a dream about saying that to him but she couldn't believe she actually did.

"We can definitely make that happen," he continued.

"I don't think so."

She again tried to swim away but only managed to get far enough for Damon to turn her around.

"What's the problem, Bon-Bon?" he asked, looking genuinely confused. "We're in Paradise. This world is pretty good and we're never going back to our world. Would it hurt you to live a little for once in your life and stop waiting for the other shoe to drop? You know we'd be good together but you're so damn scared all the time that you're going to end up wasting this life just like you did the other one."

Bonnie flinched a little because his words stung, but she knew he was right. She had barely lived in her life and there she was with a second opportunity and she was analyzing it to death instead of living it. Damon's face fell a little when she didn't respond at all and he groaned.

"Look, I shouldn't have said that. I'm not trying to start a fight with you."

"No, you're right," she said quietly.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I am?"

"Yes. You are. I do need to loosen up."

Damon was so surprised that she agreed with him that he was momentarily speechless. "Okay," he finally said.

"I'll try to be more easy-going for the rest of the trip."

"Okay. And I'll try to be a little less annoying to you. Try, being the operative word."

"Good," she said with a nod. She raised her hand out of the water and offered it to him. "We have a deal then."

"Not so fast. What do I get if I'm a good boy for the rest of the week?"

"Seriously?"

"I work best when I have an incentive. So sue me."

Bonnie sighed. "What do you want?"

Damon tapped his chin and then grinned. "Okay, if I'm on my best behavior for the rest of the week, meaning that I keep the antics and innuendo to a minimum, then when we get back from our trip, you have to watch the sex tape with me."

Her mouth fell open because she had completely forgotten about the tape. Of course, he hadn't.

"Fine. But if I loosen up, then you have to help me find a way back home. To our real home."

His face faltered a little bit but he covered it up and nodded. "Deal."

Bonnie offered her hand again and Damon took it. But instead of shaking it, he pulled her close to him again.

"Seal it with a kiss?" he asked.

Her eyes fell to his lips and she panicked briefly. Was she really ready to kiss Damon? She kind of wanted to, and she talked herself into it by rationalizing that they had kind of already kissed when he blew smoke into her mouth. She allowed him to lean down and press his mouth to hers for a few short seconds and when he pulled away, he smiled.

"It's a deal."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Damon checked himself out in the hall mirror and buttoned up his dark blue Oxford-style shirt. He and the gang were heading out to a club for the night, and he had to say that he looked damn good. Bonnie had banned him from their shared master bathroom because she was trying to get ready and he was apparently in her way. Rather than fight her on it, he acquiesced and got ready in the other bathroom. After all, he had promised to be a good boy and he had to stick with that if he wanted her to watch that sex tape with him.

He fluffed his hair a couple of times, then strode out to the living room, where Stefan and Matt were already on the couch. He poured himself some bourbon and sat with them, making small talk until the girls finally appeared. Elena was out first and while she did look stunning in her little black dress, something about her just didn't hold the same appeal that it used to. In Mystic Falls, Damon would have done just about anything to have Elena's attention and be the man for her. But as he sat on the couch and watched her twirl for Stefan, he was indifferent to her.

The feeling both shocked and relieved him.

He was not at all indifferent when Bonnie appeared from the hallway. He could feel his eyes widen and he didn't stop himself from staring. She was wearing the tightest, shortest dress he had ever seen. Her breasts were squeezed together and the hem stopped just an inch or two below her butt. She wore high heels that made her calves look amazing. Her hair was down in perfectly coiffed curls, framing her face and giving her a very soft, feminine look. Her makeup was perfect and even from his seat on the couch, the green of her eyes was noticeable.

She was smoking hot.

"Wow," he said, as he stood up from the couch and slowly approached her. She had a shy smile on her face and he knew she wasn't used to such attention, and definitely not from him. He took her hands and held them out, motioning for her to do a little spin for him. To his surprise, she did. His eyes immediately locked in on the fact that she was definitely not wearing a bra and possibly not wearing panties either. He wanted so desperately to say something inappropriate but instead he kissed her knuckles and shook his head.

"You, Ms. Bennett, are trying to test my promise to remain a gentleman," he said.

Her smile grew. "Maybe," she admitted.

"So I see that you're trying to uphold your end of the bargain."

"I am," she nodded. "I'm letting loose."

"Let's continue that, shall we?"

He took her hand and led her to the kitchen. She sat on a stool, keeping her legs closed and not moving too much. One false move and he would see everything that her mama gave her.

"To a fun night," he said, offering her a shot of tequila.

She held up her glass and clinked it with his. "Cheers."

They downed their shots together and once Caroline joined everyone, all six of them took a group shot. As they headed out to the SUV, Damon's eyes again fell to Bonnie's ass. He could tell she was feeling the shots already by the little sway she had in her hips that wasn't normally there. When she was sober, she was completely oblivious to her sex appeal. Under the influence was an entirely different story.

When they got out to the car, Damon held out his hand and helped Bonnie climb in with as little movement as possible. They slid into the back row and he wasted no time pulling her to him. He wrapped his arm around her and ran his hand down her arm, which was littered with goosebumps.

"Cold?" he asked.

"Kind of. This dress doesn't offer much in the way of warmth."

"Doesn't offer much in the way of anything, not that I'm complaining."

Bonnie pinched his thigh. "Gentleman, remember?"

"What? If I was being un-gentlemanly, I would have said something like, 'I can't wait for you to bend over so I can see if you're wearing panties or not."

Bonnie pinched him much harder that time and he laughed. They fell into a comfortable silence until Damon piped up to offer his opinion on how to get to the club they were going to. Matt got a little lost but eventually ended up at the right place. Damon once again helped Bonnie out and held her hand as they walked inside with the group.

The club was packed and playing loud reggae music. People were crammed onto the dance floor, sweating and grinding and some of them dancing on tables. There was hardly room to stand, let alone sit, but Damon spotted a few empty VIP tables. He shouted for Bonnie to stay with the girls and he steered Stefan and Matt to the bar and inquired about the table. He plunked down a couple of of hundred dollars for the space, which offered his group a resting place for the night as well as unlimited drinks and food.

Their table was a half-mooned shaped booth and Damon allowed Bonnie to slide in before him. He put his arm around her again and kissed the side of her head. She seemed to like it because she leaned into him and rubbed the top of her head against his chin. She smelled so good. She always smelled good, like flowers and something sweet. He remembered how her blood smelled just like the rest of her: tantalizing.

One of the club waitresses came over and rolled a gargantuan bottle of rum to their table. It was contained in an enormous ice bucket, with little sparklers coming out of it. She managed to get the booze onto the table with Damon's help and he passed out cups for everyone. Matt did the honors of pouring drinks for the group and once each person had a cup, Damon held his up for a toast.

"To us!" he shouted over the music.

He wasn't sure how many drinks later it was that he knew he was drunk, but it was definitely after Bonnie was noticeably wasted. At some point, she had slithered onto his lap and was gyrating to every song and proclaiming each one to be "her jam." She, Caroline and Elena eventually made it onto the dance floor, dancing seductively near each other like drunk girls were wont to do. Damon smiled and drank, content to watch Bonnie cut loose for once. After she had worked up a little sheen from moving her body to several songs, Bonnie turned and crooked her finger at him, beckoning him to join her.

Despite his desire to do just that, he smirked and shook his head. She pouted and motioned for him again, but again he shook his head. A little shiver of victory went through him when she abandoned the girls and walked to him. He was sitting on the edge of the booth and she stood in between his legs and grabbed the lapel of his shirt.

"Why won't you dance with me?" she asked.

"I will. I just wanted you to come over and ask me."

"Well," she said, leaning close enough that their noses touched, "I'm asking you."

She pulled away slightly and held her hand out, which he took. They interlaced fingers and he followed her lead. She squeezed them through the sea of people until they found a small space to move. Bonnie stood in front of Damon, then reached behind her and pulled him close to her so that his front was to her back. He placed his hands on her lips as she gently swayed to the rhythmic music. That only lasted for a moment though, then Bonnie pushed her butt into him a little harder and moved more purposefully.

The song changed to something slow and sexy. Damon could hardly understand the words because of the strong accent of the singer but it didn't matter. He was lost in Bonnie's silent seduction. She wound her hips and bent her knees in time with the song, slowly but surely burying his crotch tighter and tighter into her backside. She rested her back against his chest and curved her arm around to hook behind his neck. He bent down and nuzzled her neck and even with the loud music, he felt the vibration of a moan. He wanted to lick her, bite her, kiss her, but he had a promise to keep.

Bonnie didn't seem interested in his remaining a gentleman.

She pushed his face further into her neck until he finally opened his mouth and sucked her skin. She hissed and encouraged him to continue when she threaded her fingers into his hair and lightly scratched his scalp. He held her lips tighter and thrust into her from behind and she moaned again. He continued to suck her skin, then kissed his way down to where her shoulder and neck met. He bit that spot and Bonnie gasped and actually stopped moving for a moment.

"Don't stop," he whispered in her ear.

She shivered and then resumed her movements. Damon's hands left her hips and slid down her sides where they were met with the bare skin of her thighs. He gripped the flesh there before inching his hands up little by little, until one of them disappeared underneath her barely-there dress. He skimmed her inner thigh and felt a tiny scrap of fabric that he assumed was a thong. The mental image of that made him groan. Bonnie stopped dancing again and she looked at him over her shoulder. They locked eyes and Damon waited for her to tell him to stop.

She didn't.

And he just wasn't strong enough to stop himself. He was helpless to keep his finger from sliding between her legs and he almost exploded in his pants when he felt that she was wet. For him. Bonnie Bennett, the judgey little witch who at one point would have probably preferred to eat glass than be in the same room as him, was wet because of what he was doing to her.

She wanted him. And he wanted her. In every position imaginable and if they didn't get it together right then, he was going to take her against a wall in the club. So he found it in himself to stop. He slid his hand from under her dress and placed it back on her hip. Bonnie raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Bonnie, come on, let's dance on the table!"

Elena swooped in, oblivious to what was going on between them, and yanked Bonnie away before she could even object. Damon's brain was moving too slowly to stop them and the next thing he knew, they were on top of a table. He took that moment to go to the bathroom, where he splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked drunk and he knew Bonnie was drunk. As much as he wanted her, it wasn't the right time to make a move.

He managed to keep himself under control for the rest of the night, not allowing his hands to venture lower than Bonnie's hips whenever he touched her. They finally called it a night at 4 in the morning and on the way back to the villa, Bonnie fell asleep on his shoulder. She was groggy but woke up enough to let him lead her inside. Once they got to their bedroom, she disappeared into the bathroom and Damon disrobed and climbed into bed. He rested with his hands behind his head and watched in amusement as Bonnie stumbled back out, still in her sexy dress but her makeup gone and hair pulled up. She bent over her luggage and Damon got an obstructed view of her butt and he couldn't stop himself from whistling. She snapped up and gave him the middle finger and went back into the bathroom, this time with clothes in hand.

He heard the sink running and a few minutes later, she reappeared in a tank top and shorts and looking more sleepy than drunk. She crawled into bed and settled right on top of Damon. She buried her nose in his neck and moaned, which made him smile. He reached over and turned the lamp off, which left only a sliver of moonlight to illuminate the room. His hand found the small of her back and he rubbed it gently. They were quiet for a long time and he assumed she had fallen asleep, until she spoke.

"Damon?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

She didn't say anything immediately. "Why did you stop? When you were touching me."

"Because despite your best efforts to get me to break my promise, I'm trying to behave myself. I don't think fingering you in a club would fall into the gentleman's category."

Bonnie snorted. "I guess that's true. But it would be okay if you misbehaved a little bit."

"Maybe," he said as he slipped his hand underneath her tank top and caressed her bare skin. "But you're drunk. I didn't want to take advantage of you."

"Hm," was her response. "When did you develop a moral compass?"

"Very recently," he said with a little laugh. They fell into a comfortable silence until he added, "and besides not wanting to take advantage of you, I don't want you to wake up and not remember what happened. I want you nice and sober the first time I make you come."

Her breathing stopped for a moment and then she looked up at him.

"Who says I'll let you?" she whispered.

Damon grinned. Leave it to Bonnie to act like she wouldn't let him have his wicked way with her even after she was aroused at the club and even after she asked him why he stopped touching her. Every action made it clear that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, but she was still going to deny it and fight him until the bitter end.

He loved that about her.

"You will," he whispered back, using his other hand to touch her chin. "We won't do it in a hot sweaty club. We'll be in my bed and you'll be naked, ready and spread open for me. I'll make you come over and over again. And when you do, you'll scream my name and tell me how good I make you feel." He leaned up and brushed his lips against hers, and her eyes fluttered closed. "I'm going to stamp my name on that pussy, Bonnie. And when I do, you'll never want anybody else."

When he pulled away, Bonnie looked throughly mind-fucked. Her eyes were closed, lips parted and her breaths were short and choppy. He didn't need vampire hearing to know that her heart was racing because he saw the furious pulsing in her neck. He was sure that if he slid his hand down her shorts and flicked her clit, she would come apart in his hands.

But he didn't do that. He lay back down on the bed and gently pulled Bonnie on top of him. He stroked her hair and smiled to himself.

She was his. She just didn't know it yet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites! I love reading your comments and although I can't respond to them all personally, please know that I appreciate them. (And to the guest that had a problem with Bonnie wearing a "damp ponytail" because she's Black, I'm Black and I can do that. So can my sister and mom. So...yeah).**

**And this is where we earn the M rating. If this doesn't prompt you to review, I don't know what will! :)**

Chapter 8

Bonnie sat patiently on the closed toilet of the master bathroom while Caroline knelt in front of her and did her makeup and Elena curled her hair. Caroline and Elena were chatting away about something or other and Bonnie was barely listening. She was too busy reveling in the normalcy of it all and basking in the fact that her best friends were her friends again.

The six of them had spent the day out and about in town: eating, window-shopping and the like. Bonnie had expected another night of hanging out with everyone, drinking and relaxing, until Damon told her that they had a date. Just the two of them. And he wanted her to get sexy for him. Caroline and Elena were more than happy to volunteer to do her hair and makeup, which was good because Bonnie was a nervous wreck. She managed to contain it in front of her friends. After all, in their eyes, she and Damon had been together for a long time and there was nothing to be nervous about. But from Bonnie's perspective, it was a big deal. Especially after all the things Damon had said to her the night before.

She shivered just thinking about it.

"Where are you guys going tonight?" Caroline asked, but she didn't wait for an answer before she said, "look up and don't blink."

Bonnie followed her instructions and shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Ooh, a surprise," Elena said with glee. "Damon is so romantic."

The words sounded like a foreign language. Damon and romance had never belonged in the same sentence before.

"I know. I kinda wish he would give Matt some pointers," Caroline said.

Before that could spiral into a conversation about whose man was the most romantic and what they would change about all of them, there was a knock on the door.

"Girls," Damon said. "I'm sure you're having fun in there with all your chit-chat about lady business, but Bonnie and I have to be there at a certain time. So if you could hurry this up..."

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Caroline shouted back. She rolled her eyes. "I swear, I don't know how you deal with him sometimes."

Bonnie laughed. "A second ago, you were talking about how romantic he is."

"That was before he interrupted our beauty session!"

The girls hustled up and finished and Bonnie removed the towel from her shoulders and stood up. She checked herself out in the mirror and was impressed with what she saw. Elena had curled her hair just right and Caroline had put on just the right amount of makeup for the occasion. It was pretty but subtle and looked completely natural. Bonnie smoothed out the short black dress she wore and was happy with the way it clung to her curves. She slipped on her heels and grabbed her purse and walked out with her friends to the living room.

Damon was standing by the door already waiting and when Bonnie caught eyes with him, she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. He wore a black suit that was tailored to fit him like a glove. His black shirt underneath was unbuttoned a little, showing off the chest that he had buffed up since she first met him five years earlier. His jet black hair was perfectly fluffed and for the first time, she really noticed the facial hair that he had been growing since they arrived. It cast a dark shadow over his jaw and gave him the look of a rugged pretty boy.

Good Lord, had he always been this sexy? Or was she just now noticing because he was being sexy for her?

"Well, well, Ms. Bennett," he said as he approached her and took her hand. "Don't you look lovely?" He kissed her knuckles and she smiled.

"So do you."

"This old thing?" he asked with a shrug. "Just something I threw on." He propped his fist on his hip and offered his elbow. "Shall we go?"

"You kids have fun," Elena said.

"Don't come back pregnant, Bon," Caroline called as they walked out. "You've got to fit into that wedding dress!"

Damon rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him and led Bonnie to the passenger door of their rental car. He helped her in and then climbed into the driver's seat and off they went. Bonnie couldn't fight the little butterflies in her stomach. Not only because it was a date and that, in and of itself, was a little nerve-racking. But because it was Damon. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that they were together.

"So...where are we going?" she asked.

"Uh-uh, you'll see when we get there."

"Somewhere fancy, I take it."

"Your observation skills never cease to amaze me," he teased. Bonnie stuck her tongue out and lightly punched his arm.

"You're not supposed to insult your date, you know."

"My apologies. I'll be on my best behavior tonight."

"Like you were on your best behavior last night?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Damon grinned and briefly turned to her. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was. The comment about him stamping his name on it. Just replaying it in her head kind of turned her on.

"Maybe if you're a good girl."

She swallowed hard and decided against saying anything else, for fear that she might ask him to turn the car around and touch her like she wanted him to. Instead, she rode quietly until they reached their destination. Damon parked the car and then got out and took her hand. Bonnie wanted to ask again where they were going, but she didn't. She interlaced their fingers and he led her through a quiet but beautiful little shopping area on the shore. They walked to some docks, where several large and luxurious yachts awaited. She really had no idea what they were doing until Damon led her up the steps of one of the boats.

It was a white yacht lit up with soft white and blue lights. She could see a couple of people already on board and she turned to ask him what they were doing. Before she could, a man wearing a butler's attire greeted them on the steps.

"You must be Mr. Salvatore and Ms. Bennett," he said with a thick but pleasant Bahamian accent.

"That would be us," Damon said with a smile.

"Welcome aboard."

The butler offered his hand to Bonnie and she stepped on board. There was a slight breeze coming from the water and she could see a few two-person tables set up, all with candles and roses.

"It's a dinner cruise," Damon whispered in her ear. "I thought you might like it."

She was speechless for a moment. Firstly because she had never been on such an extravagant and beautiful date. And secondly because Damon Salvatore of all people was the one who'd thought of it.

"I do like it," she confirmed. And he smiled.

He took her hand and walked her to one of the tables. He pulled her chair out for her and she looked around to see a few other couples walking around, drinking champagne and enjoying the night. Damon sat down across from her and the butler brought them two glasses of wine. Damon held up his glass.

"To us," he said as a toast. Bonnie clinked her glass against his.

"Cheers."

They got settled in for the ride and once the other couples took their seats, the captain began the slow move from the docks out onto the ocean. Bonnie was mesmerized by the perfect weather and calming sounds and smells of the sea and when she met eyes with Damon, he looked quite pleased with himself.

"Damon, this is beautiful," she said.

"I'm glad you approve."

"Now tell me. Is this something that Other Side Damon had already planned and we're just lucky enough to cash in on it? Or did you actually plan this?"

He put his hand to chest in a show of faux disbelief. "Miss Bennett, I'm shocked that you would think me incapable of planning something like this."

"Not incapable," she laughed. "I've just never seen this side of you before. It's weird."

"Good weird?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Definitely good weird."

"Well, I will have you know that I planned this all by myself."

"I'm very impressed."

They fell into comfortable conversation as the yacht ventured further out and the butler brought them a basket of freshly-baked rolls and salad.

"This is nice," she said after a few quiet moments. "You and me, getting along. I like this version of us."

"So do I," he said with a genuine smile.

She leaned conspiratorially over the table and smirked as she asked, "how do you think we got together?"

Damon sat back in his seat and hummed as he thought.

"Hmmm...I think we probably didn't like each other at first. You saw me as Stefan's annoying and promiscuous older brother that you had to deal with because Elena and Stefan got together. I saw you as Elena's judgey and righteous little friend that turned your nose up every time I was in your vicinity."

"Gee, Damon, you really know how to make a girl feel good."

He laughed. "Hold on, let me finish. We didn't like each other at first, but because your best friend was dating my brother, we slowly ended up spending more time together. Maybe we hung out at the boarding house on the weekends, went to the movies, things like that. And eventually you stopped seeing me as the slutty older brother and started seeing me as the very sexy, very available older brother with the sparkling blue eyes. And you didn't want those eyes on anybody but you."

"Ha!" Bonnie laughed and clapped her hands. "You spin quite the yarn, Mr. Salvatore."

He smiled and continued. "And I'm guessing that one night, after we stopped hating each other, you came over to the house wearing something hot and revealing. Maybe you were going on a date or something. I saw you looking older and more mature and suddenly, I stopped seeing you as a little girl and started seeing you as a woman. Of course, you know I have a jealous streak a mile wide, so once I realized that I liked you as more than a friend, I blocked your way out and demanded that you not go out on your date."

Bonnie's amusement with his story began to evolve into interest. "And how did I respond?"

"You slapped me, of course."

They both smiled.

"But that only turned me on more. I kissed you. You slapped me again. The next day, you asked what the hell was my problem and rather than telling you, I showed you." His smile turned devious. "Many times. With many orgasms. And the rest is history."

"You're such a dirty old man."

"You like it. Trust me." He wiggled his eyebrows. "You'll see once we watch the sex tape."

Bonnie's cheeks flushed, knowing that he had seen her naked and doing things she would never want anyone but her partner to see. She still couldn't believe she would allow such a thing to happen and she was not, in any way, looking forward to seeing it on video.

They managed to avoid sex talk for the rest of the dinner, but they did continue to speculate about the details of their relationship: their first date (dinner and a movie), first I love yous (Damon said it first), the proposal. They both agreed that the proposal was probably something extravagant and romantic, much like the dinner cruise.

When the yacht began to dock at the shore, Bonnie found herself not wanting the date to end. She shivered a little when a strong breeze blew by.

"Cold?" Damon asked. She nodded and he shrugged off his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. It smelled so much like him that she just wanted to sink into it. When the boat docked, Damon helped her off and they walked back to the car, holding hands.

"Where to next, my lady?"

"You mean the night's not over yet?"

"Not unless you want it to be."

A soft smile came over her lips. "I don't want it to be."

Damon drove them to a liquor store and emerged with a six-pack of cheap beer, which for some reason, elated Bonnie. He then drove them to a beach and laid out his jacket on a stretch of sand a few feet away from the water. He pulled Bonnie close and rubbed her arms up and down to keep her warm. They cracked open their $5 beer and spent the next several hours talking about everything and anything: his past lives, her childhood, his favorite decades, her aspirations. They probably could have stayed out there all night but when Bonnie yawned, they finally gathered themselves and headed back to the villa.

Their vacation home was dark and silent when they arrived, as the other four had long since gone to bed. The two of them went to their own bedroom and fell into the same routine they had perfected: Damon changing clothes in the bedroom and Bonnie in the bathroom. He turned out the lights and when Bonnie joined him in bed, he snuggled her from behind. They didn't say anything for a while, but neither was asleep. She ran her fingers over his hands and finally spoke up.

"Damon?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"That was the best date I've ever been on. It was probably one of the best times I've ever had, honestly. Date or not."

She felt him smile against her neck and he kissed her skin. "I'm glad. Someone should be allowed to pamper you every now and then, Ms. Tough Girl."

She smiled and brought his hand up to kiss it.

"I do believe it's customary to end a good date with a kiss," he whispered.

Her body flared immediately, feeling his breath on her ear and hearing his words.

"Oh, is it?" she asked.

"Mm hm."

"Well, I don't usually kiss on the first date..." She turned around in his arms so that they were facing each other. "But I guess I could make an exception this one time."

He hugged her tightly, pulling her as close to his body as she could get. She brought her hand to his face and gently felt around since she couldn't see his mouth. She ran her fingers over his eyelids, then his nose, then his cheeks. She landed on his soft lips and brushed hers against his. He was patient and made no move to initiate the kissing. She slowly kissed him once, twice, three times. On the third time, she licked his lips and he opened up for her tongue to invade his space. What had started out gentle quickly became passionate and wet. His hand slid into her hair and gave it a gentle tug while their tongues slid past each other. She whimpered and he sucked her lips into his mouth before kissing her again.

Bonnie couldn't help the sounds of pleasure that tumbled from her mouth and they only got louder when he abandoned her lips and directed his attention to her neck. He sucked hard on her skin and she moaned and gripped his soft T-shirt. Her mouth fell open in a soft gasp when he ground himself into her and she felt his hardness pressed right into her center.

"Do you want me?" he asked in a hot whisper.

"Yes," she hissed.

"Are you wet for me?"

"Mm, yes," she moaned.

Damon pulled back from the attack on her neck and breathed hard on her mouth.

"Can I touch it?" he asked.

There was a brief pause on Bonnie's end, not because she didn't want him to touch it but because she wanted him to touch it so badly that she almost exploded. She knew that once she went there with Damon, there was probably no coming back. If his kisses were any indication, he knew how to work his way around a girl's body and she was probably going to end up addicted to him.

Those concerns were no match for her desire and she answered with a breathy "yes."

His hand released its grip on her hair and moved down the front of her body, over her breasts, down her stomach and to the top of her tiny shorts. He slid his hand underneath those and her flimsy lace panties and once his fingers found her sopping wet center, she had to grit her teeth not come right there. He pressed his forehead to hers and they didn't say a word as his finger circled her throbbing clit and then sank inside her. Bonnie's eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head and she gripped his shoulders.

"God damn, baby," he whispered huskily. "Is all that for me?"

She didn't have to answer and probably couldn't have even if she wanted to. She was too busy trying not to orgasm after two finger strokes like a virginal teenager. She was both upset and relieved when he slid his finger out and he rolled her completely onto her back.

"I want to taste you," he said.

For a split second, she reverted back to old Bonnie and was scared that he was going to bite her. But as his mouth made its way down her body, she realized that he meant another type of taste entirely. And that's when she knew she was truly not in Mystic Falls anymore. Because there she was, laid out on a bed, with Damon Fucking Salvatore about to go down on her. And when his lips finally landed on their destination, she wondered why they hadn't died and gone to the Other Side much sooner.

His tongue jutted out and lapped at her clit like a kitten and Bonnie nearly shot off the bed. She moaned very loudly and Damon had to hold her hips down. He kissed her center like he kissed her mouth: passionately, intensely and wildly. He then slipped down and inserted his tongue inside her and moaned.

"Fuck, you taste good," he said in between licks and sucks. "I could eat this pussy all day." He spread her legs wider and licked her from top to bottom and Bonnie gripped the sheets and screamed.

"Ah, shit, Damon!"

She could hardly think straight as he continued to please and tease her. Jeremy had eaten her out once or twice before and it was nothing like this. Jeremy wasn't bad at it per se, but he was inexperienced and didn't know exactly what to do. Rather than enjoy it, Bonnie had to direct him. But with Damon, that was not the case. He knew exactly where and how to suck, how much pressure to apply, when to use the hard tip of his tongue instead of the soft flat part. He played her like an instrument and despite her best efforts to last longer than a few minutes, Bonnie knew it was futile. She was going to come. Hard. She gripped his hair and her hips started to pump into his face of their own accord.

"Damon, oh my God," she cried. "Oh, God, don't stop. Please don't stop."

She continued to beg him and while his tongue played with her clit, his fingers slid inside her. He crooked them upwards, like he was telling her to come here, and that was the final straw. Bonnie's eyes screwed shut, her back arched off the bed, and she wrapped her legs around his head so tight that he would have needed a crowbar to escape.

"UGH! OH GOD, DAMON! DAMON! DAMON!"

She shouted his name, not caring who she woke up or who heard her falling to pieces at Damon's hands. Her orgasm seemed to go on for minutes and her cries only stopped when the pleasure began to fade and was replaced with a weightlessness that she could only describe as ecstasy. She slowly released her strangle hold on Damon's head and she fell back onto the mattress, breathing heavily. He kissed his way back up her body and hovered over her.

"Still want to go back home?" he asked.

There was no hesitation in her response.

"Hell no."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The rest of the vacation, Bonnie and Damon were inseparable. During the days, they hung out with their friends. At night, they made out in bed and Damon's hands and head usually ended up between Bonnie's legs. By the time they returned to Mystic Falls, Bonnie could barely extract herself from her Other World fiance. She was itching to get into his huge bed and have sex for the first time. Unfortunately, her plans were derailed when her period came. Then on Monday, Damon was called away to Baltimore for a big job on a mansion. They promised to call, text and FaceTime every day.

It wasn't until Wednesday that Bonnie realized how much she missed him. And the thought scared her. If someone had told her that she would end up having feelings for Damon, she would have called that person crazy. But as she drove home from work, she found herself thinking about him the whole way. Missing him, his scent, his smile.

Without thinking, she ended up in her grandmother's neighborhood. She didn't realize she had done it until she was pulling into the driveway. She turned the car off and sighed, coming to the conclusion that her subconscious was telling her that she needed to talk out these new feelings, and who better to discuss them with than the woman who had set the whole thing in motion. Bonnie walked up to the front porch and raised her fist to knock, only for her grandmother to open it before her knuckles could hit the wood.

"Come on in, baby," Grams said with a smile.

"How did I know I was coming?"

"Grandmother's intuition. Come to the backyard with me. I was just doing some gardening."

Bonnie followed her to the backyard and she picked up a pair of gloves. She dug her knees into the dirt and started pulling up weeds.

"So, how was your trip?" Grams asked.

"It was great," she said with a satisfied smile. "We had a really wonderful time. It was nice to just relax, you know? I can't remember the last time I did that."

"I'm glad. How is Damon?"

"Damon is..." Amazing. Sexy. Delicious. "...good," she said, unable to fight off the blush that overcame her cheeks.

"Just good?" the older woman asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Your face seems to say he's better than that."

Bonnie sighed and quietly weeded while she tried to gather her thoughts.

"You can tell me you, you know," Grams said.

"It's just...this is all happened so fast. A couple of weeks ago, I was at home, fighting off the supernatural and trying to make it work with Jeremy. Damon and I had a tenuous friendship and I never would have even thought about him as a romantic interest. And now, I'm here and he's so different and I have all these feelings that I don't understand."

"You never give yourself enough credit, Bonnie. You understand your feelings perfectly well. You just don't want to admit that you like him."

"I do like him," she said with a sigh. "I think I more than like him. And I'm scared of that. We haven't been here long enough for me to feel this way."

"Says who?" Grams asked with that stern grandmotherly face. "There's no time limit on love, baby. And it's not like you just met Damon last week. You've known him for five years."

"And I hated him for most of that!"

"Things change."

Silence fell between them and Grams continued her gardening. Bonnie was quiet as she helped and after a few minutes, she spoke up again.

"Why Damon, Grams?" she asked. "Why him, of all people? After all the horrible things he's done?"

"You and Damon bring out the best in each other," she said simply. "Although his methods were sometimes heavy-handed and unwise, he forced you to embrace your magic. He helped you realize your power as a witch. And you helped him remember that there was a human inside that vampire. You held him to a high standard and he wanted to meet that, even if he acted like he didn't. He respects you, Bonnie. That's always a good foundation for a relationship."

Bonnie allowed that to sink in for a moment and she had to acknowledge that her grandmother was right. In Mystic Falls, they had been dysfunctional and constantly at each other's throats, but it worked for them. They did make each other better.

"And besides," Grams continued, "the boy's not hard on the eyes."

"Grams!" Bonnie said, and they both laughed.

"What? I may be old but I'm not blind!"

"I cannot believe you think Damon Salvatore is hot."

"Don't tell him I said that. His head will get even bigger."

Their laughs continued, then simmered down to chuckles.

"I'm glad I'm here," Bonnie said. "I've missed you so much."

"I know, sweetie. I missed you, too. But you know I'm always watching over you. I want nothing but happiness for you. And if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see my only grandbaby get married before I kick the bucket for real this time."

Bonnie chuckled. "For real? You mean that you can die here?"

"Oh yes, you can die and grow old and make babies." Sheila smirked again and Bonnie's face enflamed.

"Grams!"

"What? I'm just saying. Whatever you and Damon are doing, be aware that he's human and capable of reproduction. So if that's not something you want..."

She let the sentence hang there and Bonnie was speechless. She had never really given children much thought. Sure, when she was younger and before all the craziness that was her life happened, she thought she wanted the white picket fence, husband, cute dog and 2.5 kids. But ever since her life had become a jumble of supernatural disasters, she hadn't had time to think about such things. Kids and marriage were totally off her radar. And having children with Damon? Talk about unchartered waters.

"Wow," she said, coming out of her stupor. "That's a lot to think about."

"Then think about it," Grams said simply. "And do whatever makes you happy."

Bonnie helped her grandmother finish the gardening duties and promised to come back soon. She headed home and once she was in Damon's room, she flopped onto the bed and rolled over to his side, hoping that some of his scent was still on the sheets and pillows. There was only a trace of him left and she frowned and decided to take matters into her own hands. She stripped off her clothes and got into the shower, but rather than using her soap, she used his. She smiled as she lathered herself up with his soap, and when she got out and dried off, she put on one of his black T-shirts.

For the next hour or so, she read over some things for her internship and at 8 on the dot, she got a FaceTime call from Damon. She squealed like a teenager and tried not to grin too much when she accepted his request.

"Hi," he said as his handsome face filled the screen of her iPad.

"Hi yourself."

"You look awfully comfortable in my shirt," he said with a little smirk.

"I am. I used your soap too."

"Aw, are you missing me, Little Bird?"

"Not even a little bit," she lied. Her smile gave her away.

"Mm hm. Well I'm missing you. This bed is so big and lonely. If only I had a nice warm body to sleep next to."

"Come home and you can have that."

"Two days," he said wistfully. "What have you been doing all day?"

"Work. Then I visited Grams. We talked about you."

"Oh yeah? What did she say?"

"She thinks you're hot," she said with a big laugh.

Damon laughed, too, and put his hand to his heart in shock.

"I had no idea that Sheila was such a cougar."

"She's the cougar? You're the one dating someone a hundred years younger than you!"

He smirked. "True. I do like 'em young."

"That's not creepy at all."

"I like 'em bendy and nubile. You should know," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows. "You seem to like to spread 'em for me. That's why I love stretchy little cheerleaders."

"Oh my God, Damon," she said. She covered her face with her hands so he wouldn't see her blush.

"I know you're not getting all shy on me now, Bennett. Not after that week we just had."

"It's embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing about it?"

"I don't know," she said with a cute little shrug. "Talking about sex just always makes me nervous."

"Well, I'll just have to fuck it out of you."

Bonnie smacked her iPad with a pillow. "Pretend that was your face."

"Mm hm," he smiled.

"By the way, speaking of...uh...sex," she said, feeling flushed again. Damon grinned. "Whenever we...do it...we'll need to use some kind of protection."

"What? Why? You pick up some kind of STD while I was gone?"

"NO!" she laughed. "But you're human now and I could get pregnant."

Damon quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really? And how did you find this out?"

"Grams told me."

"My, my, Sheila was one quite the roll today, wasn't she?"

"You have no idea."

He mulled over the information and then asked, "How do you feel about that? Getting pregnant?"

"I've never thought about it. Our lives were too crazy to even entertain that idea. And now that I know it's possible here..." She looked down for minute and shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I had great parental role models to look up to."

"Same here."

"It's just so crazy to even talk about. Babies. With you. A little while ago, we couldn't even stand each other."

"Things change," he said with a simple shrug.

Bonnie chuckled. "Same thing Grams said."

"Ah, so she did do more than tell you how hot I am and that we need to strap up when we bang."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Stop."

Damon grinned devilishly. "Want to have phone sex?"

"What? No!"

"Oh, don't act so goody goody, Bennett. I've seen you in bed. You're a naughty little witch and I bet you want to do dirty things to me. Like open your pretty legs and finger yourself for me right now."

Bonnie wished that she didn't get just a tad bit wet from his comment but her traitorous body betrayed her.

"I don't think so."

"Okay, fine, show me your boobs."

"You are disgusting, you know that?"

"You didn't seem to think so any of those times I had my tongue inside you."

"Damon, God," she said, covering her face again. "Can't you just leave those things where they belong? In the heat of the moment and not during a regular conversation?"

"But then I wouldn't get the joy of seeing you all embarrassed and flustered. And that's the highlight of my day."

"You're such a jackass."

"A jackass you decided to marry," he said with a little gleam in his eye.

"I was obviously blinded by lust."

"So you admit you feel lust for me."

"At this point, I'd think that's pretty obvious."

Damon's smile slowly morphed into a look of seriousness. He leaned back so that more of his face and body were in the picture and his eyes roamed from her face down to what he could see of her chest. Bonnie didn't understand how he could be many miles away, gawking at her from a small screen, and still make her feel hot and bothered.

"I lust for you, too, Little Bird," he said. "You have no idea the kinds of things I want to do to you."

She gulped.

"You know, I used to think you were asexual. Or maybe a lesbian."

"Gee, thanks," she said dryly.

"But now I know that you were just waiting for the right person to come along and bring out that sexy goddess in you. I guess I'm that right person."

"I guess so."

His statement hung in the air and they looked at one another but didn't speak. Maybe he was the right person. Not just sexually, but emotionally and mentally. Bonnie couldn't recall a time she had been as happy as she was right then. And Damon was the cause.

They talked for a little while longer, mostly about Damon's current renovation project and how it was going. When he yawned, Bonnie made him promise that he would go to bed on time. They wished each other good night and sweet dreams, but even after they ended the conversation, he was still on her mind. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned on her side, hoping to trick her brain into thinking that the scent wafting from her skin belonged to Damon. But she couldn't sleep.

She kicked and turned for a while before a thought popped into her head that she just couldn't get rid of. She slid out of bed and grabbed Damon's laptop. She settled against a stack of pillows and a quick search of his computer revealed the sex tape. It was really just a large video file that he had hidden (not very well) in a folder called "Damon." She opened the video and a black screen took over with a small gray "play" button in the middle.

Her finger hovered over the button and she debated whether she should or shouldn't watch it. She had kind of promised Damon she would watch it with him, but she knew that he would just tease her relentlessly. Maybe it was better to just bite the bullet and watch it alone.

So before she could talk herself out of it or think too hard, she pushed play.

**Yes, I left it there because I'm evil! (And no, there won't be a pregnancy in this story).**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Bonnie's heart nearly beat out of her chest as she waited for the video to load. The entire screen went black and for a nanosecond, she hoped that the video didn't work. But then she heard Damon's voice through the speakers.

_"Come on," he begged._

_"No!" Bonnie said, but then giggled._

_"You promised."_

_The black screen lifted and the computer was filled with the image of Bonnie. Her hair, which was longer than the shoulder-length cut she was wearing presently, was fanned out along the pillow where she rested her head. She wore a seductive smile on her face and covered her bare breasts with her arms._

_"I am not making a home movie with you, Damon," she said. But the smile on her face and the playfulness of her voice made it seem like she was going to do exactly that._

_"You promised," he sang. "On my birthday, you said we would could make a video."_

_"I was drunk."_

_"Things you say when you're drunk are just things you wish you had the balls to say when you're sober."_

_Bonnie quirked an eyebrow. "I don't have balls, as I'm sure you're well aware."_

_"I might need video evidence of that."_

_And suddenly, the camera panned down so that the only thing on the screen was Bonnie's smooth bare legs and her crotch, which was barely covered by a pair of lacy boy-short style panties. Damon's hand came from behind the camera and began to pull down the underwear, until Bonnie smacked his hand._

_"Hey!"_

_The camera panned back up to her face._

_"Come on," he whined. "Nobody will see this but you and me, I swear."_

_"Why do need to see it at all? We watch each other during sex all the time."_

_"Yeah, but you've never seen yourself or how hot you are when you're screaming for me. Besides, what am I supposed to watch when I'm away on business trips? Would you rather I pay $10 for some shitty hotel porn or get my rocks off watching my beautiful girlfriend ride my dick?"_

_Bonnie rolled her eyes but she was biting her lip to keep from smiling. She pretended to fight it for a few more seconds, before she pulled her arms away from her chest and huffed, "fine." Her perky breasts jiggled just a little, revealing more of her flawless brown skin, dark brown areolas and hard nipples._

_"Hello, my pretties," Damon said._

_His hand came into view again and he palmed the right breast, squeezing and tweaking it before moving to the other one._

_"Is this how we're going to do this?" Bonnie asked, deadpanned. "You use one hand to get me off while you hold the camera in the other? Because that's kind of not sexy."_

_"Hold your horses, Bennett. I just want to do a little inventory before we get to the good stuff."_

_The camera followed his hand down her stomach and to the top of her panties. He slid one side down, then the other, until her entire private area was exposed. Her mound was covered with a patch of neatly trimmed hair and Damon moaned._

_"Mm, there's my happy place," he said. Bonnie giggled in the background. _

_He continued his "inventory," right down to her manicured toes. He brought the camera down so that his face was finally in the shot, and he recorded himself kissing her feet and then grinning._

_"Hi there. Welcome to the Bonnie and Damon show, where orgasms are guaranteed."_

_"You are so corny."_

_"Corny and horny, baby. Just like you like it."_

_He turned the camera back to her and captured her laugh before he got off the bed and began to attach the camera to a tripod. Bonnie turned on her side, revealing her entire slim naked body and ran her fingers along the comforter while he got everything set up. Once he was finished, he crawled onto the bed and turned Bonnie onto her back again. He hovered over her and wiggled his eyebrows._

_"You gonna put on a show for Daddy?"_

_"Oh my God, please don't turn this into some cheap amateur porno." She tunneled her fingers into his hair and pulled his face down to hers. "Let's just forget it's there and you do your job and make me feel good," she whispered._

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_As soon as their lips touched, their tongues became involved. Their heads circled, finding the perfect position for maximum tongue penetration and Bonnie's hands slipped from Damon's hair to his shirt. She tugged on it and he broke away from her just long enough to pull the shirt over his head and toss it to the ground. They went back to kissing for a short time before his lips slid down her neck. He sucked and licked her skin, then found the spot where her shoulder and neck met. He bit her and Bonnie moaned loudly. _

_He did that several more times, then kissed his way down her chest. He squeezed one breast while his mouth worked on the other. His pink tongue darted around her nipple and licked all of the area around it. Bonnie's back arched as she tried to get him where she wanted him, but then he switched to the other breast and did the same thing._

_"Ugh, Damon," she groaned. "Don't tease me."_

_He smiled against her skin and finally sucked a nipple into his mouth and she sighed in relief. He alternated between her breasts, until both of them were wet and swollen. Bonnie was panting and trying to direct Damon's head between her legs. He allowed her to lead him and once her legs were tossed over his shoulders, he lay down in front of him and slowly licked her._

_"Yesss," she hissed, once again taking hold of his dark hair. "You know I love for you to eat me," she said in an aroused whisper._

_His only response was a moan and he turned his head to the camera and winked before making a show of inserting his tongue into her folds. She screamed. Unbeknownst to her, he did a thumbs up motion to the camera, then slid that same thumb inside of her. He slowly fingered her and licked her at the same time. Every time she got close to orgasm, he would stop. He did this about five times until Bonnie was pleading for release._

_"Please," she begged, looking down at him with the face of a woman who was about ten seconds away from exploding. "Please let me cum."_

_Damon sat up on his knees and slowly undid the belt of his jeans._

_"Have you been a good girl?" he asked._

_She eagerly nodded her head._

_He smirked and got off the bed to finish disrobing. He stood parallel to the camera so that it got a good shot of his sizable erection when it sprang out of his pants. He let the jeans fall to the floor and he kicked them aside. He stroked himself a few times and Bonnie watched with hungry eyes._

_"You want this?" Damon asked lowly._

_"Yes," she whispered._

_"Show me."_

_Bonnie wordlessly spread her legs for him, and he groaned and jacked it a few more times before crawling back onto the bed. He situated himself between her legs and they shared a torrid kiss at the same time that he slid inside._

_"Oooh, yes," she moaned. _

_She locked her legs around his waist and he took her hands in his. He lifted them above her head and began a slow pace, rocking his hips back and forth, deep strokes followed by shallow ones. _

_"You feel so good," he whispered against her lips. "You're so wet for me, baby. I can never get enough of you."_

_Bonnie wrapped her arms around him and answered with breathy moans and pleasured sighs. They shared soft, sweet kisses that matched the slow pace of their love. After several minutes of that, Damon began to pump just a little harder and faster. He kept increasing his speed and intensity until their bodies were slapping together and Bonnie was screaming with every thrust._

_"Ugh, baby, ugh, don't stop," she cried. _

_Of course, once she said that, Damon did stop. He sat up and wrapped his arms underneath her legs. He rolled them over and she leveraged herself against his chest._

_"I want to see your sexy ass on top of me," he said in a thick voice. _

_With her hands planted on his chest, Bonnie slowly worked her hips up and down, swallowing his large member with every move. They both moaned and Damon slapped each butt cheek, which only made her work harder. She bounced on him, making her breasts and butt shake, and it was Damon who was groaning with every maneuver._

_"Ride me, baby," he panted. "Ride me hard."_

_She increased her speed to a pace that she could only keep up with for a few minutes. She whimpered and Damon grabbed her hips and began to pump her like a mad man from underneath. Bonnie's nails dug into his skin and she nearly ran out of breath._

_"I'm gonna come," she told him in a desperate whisper. "Please...I'm so close."_

_"Come for me, baby," he directed. "Come all over me."_

_She screamed louder with each thrust until her cries melted into each other and her hips stilled entirely. Her head fell back, revealing her profile to the camera. Her mouth dropped into the "O" position and when she came, her eyes screwed shut tightly._

_"Ah, fuck!" she yelled. "Damon! Shit! Ugh!"_

_He kept thrusting upwards until her sounds became too much for him to handle. He lifted her hips just as he erupted like a volcano and his seed shot all over her thighs and his stomach. His face was red and his muscles strained as the orgasm overcame him. His head fell onto the pillow and he muttered a string of curse words until he started to come down from his high. He was dazed for a minute and upon realizing that he still had Bonnie suspended in the air, he gently lay her down next to him and they took a few minutes to catch their breath. Damon finally worked up the strength to move and he disappeared from the camera for a moment._

_When he returned, he was carrying a small wet face towel. He knelt in front of Bonnie's prone body and gently wiped her off and kissed every place that he cleaned. He kissed all the way up her body, and when he reached her lips, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and met him a greedy, hungry mouth. Damon moaned and when he pulled away, he rubbed his nose against hers._

_"Tell me," he said softly._

_"Tell you what?" she asked with a cheeky smile._

_"You know what."_

_Her smile softened and she stared into his eyes before saying, "I love you. I love you so much."_

_He smiled and kissed her fingers. "I love you, too."_

_"How much?"_

_"An adequate amount."_

_She laughed and he grinned. "You're such a romantic, Damon."_

_"That's why you love me."_

_They shared another kiss, and then he got up and turned the camera off._

As the black screen took over the computer again, Bonnie sat, unmoving. She had no idea what to feel after seeing that video. She was simultaneously confused, aroused, uncertain and lonely. She wanted the kind of relationship she had seen on the video: passionate but silly, loving and fun. She wanted to trust someone enough to do something as intimate as make love on tape. Hell, she wanted to make the kind of love she'd just watched. Knowing that she was capable of such things made her cheeks burned with embarrassment and desire.

She wanted Damon.

She closed his computer and pulled her phone out. She typed him a message and waited anxiously for his response.

_I did something._

It only took a second for the text bubble to pop up to show that he was typing an answer.

_something like?_

_I watched the sex tape._

_without me?!_

That made her smile.

_I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! I got curious._

_well? it was hot right?_

_Yes._

He didn't respond immediately.

_ur gonna freak out on me now, aren't u?_

_Surprisingly, no._

_really?_

_Really._

_why not?_

She read his text several times, trying to come up with the right response. Why wasn't she freaking out? After all, Damon had seen the tape. He'd seen her in all her naked glory, in the throes of passion, but she wasn't freaked out. She was interested.

_Because I want what we have on the video._

Her heart thumped hard against her chest, threatening to explode with every second that ticked by without an answer. And when Damon did respond, her mouth couldn't have formed a bigger smile.

_you already have it_

_Come home._

_tomorrow, little bird. dream of me. _

_I already do._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Bonnie. Bonnie._

Bonnie's eyes snapped open and she sprang up in bed. Her breathing was heavy as she looked around the pitch black room. Once the roaring in her ears stopped, she was able to calm down and listen for any sounds, but she heard none. She leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp, inspecting the room once light flooded the area. She was alone in Damon's room, just as she had been all week. She could have sworn that she'd heard her name, like someone whispering in her ear, but she chalked it up to a dream.

She took a deep breath and fell back onto the pillow-soft bed. She couldn't even remember falling asleep. She and Damon had stayed up on FaceTime for several hours and Bonnie could hardly contain her excitement because he was coming home later in the day. She couldn't wait to see him again, in person, and act out all the fantasies that she had been thinking about during their separation.

Bonnie's cheeks burned and she bit her lip as she thought about sleeping with Damon. The thought was both exhilarating and nerve-racking. She groaned and leaned over to grab her phone. Her alarm was set to go off in five minutes anyway so she tossed the covers off and began her morning routine. On her way to work, Damon was the only thing on her mind and she had to force herself to focus on something else.

Her efforts were shattered when he called her.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, sexy."

She grinned like a school girl. "Hey, yourself."

"I'll be home tonight."

"Yes, I recall."

"Are you ready for me?"

His voice was dripping with innuendo and it took everything in Bonnie not to whimper.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied.

"Oh, that's how you want to play it?" he asked with a little chuckle. "If you keep acting naughty, I'll have to punish you."

"And how would you do that?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I wouldn't want you to cream your panties before work."

And with that, he hung up. His comments had her screwed up for the rest of the day. She kept spacing out at work and reading the same sentence over and over. It didn't help that Damon kept sending her hourly updates about his estimated time of arrival. When the work day finally ended, Bonnie practically gunned it back to the boarding house. She expected Damon to arrive at about seven, so she took the time she had left to get ready. She freshened up, shaved her legs and finger-combed her freshly-done hair.

When Damon hadn't arrived, she tried desperately to think about something else. She made the bed and pulled her laptop onto her thighs and made herself re-read the manuscript that she had neglected all day at work. It wasn't until she heard the familiar sound of Damon's car pulling up to the house that she realized she wasn't wearing anything particularly sexy. Her shorts did showcase her legs and the tank top she wore was almost like a second skin, but it wasn't lingerie. She didn't even know if Damon liked lingerie, but what guy didn't?

She heard the front door open and decided that it was too late to change clothes. He was just going to rip them off of her anyway. With every second that she knew he was getting closer, her heart beat harder and louder. She was overcome with excitement, nervousness and anticipation but rather than sit there like an eager beaver, she pretended to work on her computer. She didn't even look up when the bedroom door slowly opened.

"Honey, I'm home," Damon said.

Bonnie tried to fight the smile on her face when she glanced over her computer screen and met his playful eyes. He was, of course, smirking, and if she hadn't known better, she would have thought he could hear her pounding heart.

"Hi," she said shyly.

He placed his bag on the floor and walked extraordinarily slowly towards her, staring at her with those intense eyes the entire time. Bonnie's whole body was buzzing and she held his gaze until he was leaning over the side of the bed, with his face just a few centimeters from hers. He brushed his nose against her cheek, then kissed her skin.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she said again.

He smiled and teased her lips but didn't kiss them.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

"Eh, not really."

"You're a terrible liar."

He smoothly removed the computer and slid it away from her, then he crawled on top of her until her back was on the mattress. He hovered over her and nipped at her lips, which made her smile. She craned up just enough to capture his lips and they kissed like they hadn't seen each other in months. She threaded her fingers in his hair and his hand slid up her shirt and latched onto her left breast. He squeezed it a few times, then abruptly stopped and pulled away.

"What's wrong?" she asked, already out of breath.

"Your heart's beating awfully fast. Are you nervous?"

Bonnie's cheeks felt hot at having been caught, but she shook her head. "No."

Damon gave her a lopsided smile. "Didn't I just tell you that you're a horrible liar? We don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

He tried to roll off of her but Bonnie grabbed his shirt and kept him in place.

"No, no, no, I want to," she insisted.

"But...?"

"But nothing."

He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and smirked. "Your heart's beating out of your chest, Judgey. And not in a heart-pounding, I'm-making-you-so-hot kind of way. More like a virgin on her wedding night kind of way."

"I do want you," she said quietly.

"But...?" he asked again.

"But..." She looked into his blue eyes and saw that he was genuinely concerned and it gave her the confidence to voice her fears. "But it's you. And me. And we're going to have sex. And I can say with all honesty that I never once thought we would be in this position or that I would want it so badly and it's kind of freaking me out. On top of that, you've had all this sex and you're so experienced and I'm really not. I've only been with one other guy and that was just a few times. You've slept with both of my best friends and I know that at least one of them was a 9 on your sex scale and I can't live up to that."

She was nearly out of breath when she finished talking and she hadn't noticed how Damon's dark eyebrows rose with each new fear of hers. Embarrassment crept underneath her skin and she wanted to smack herself on the head for unloading like that.

"I'm sorry," she said after a couple of moments of strained silence. "I shouldn't have said all that. Kind of a buzz kill, right?"

She watched as Damon eyed her silently, then he removed himself from her body and walked into the bathroom. She heard water running and Bonnie covered her face with her hands, wondering why she had to talk so much and completely ruin whatever moment they were about to have. It was no wonder that Damon was always calling her Judgey. She could never just sit back and enjoy something without analyzing it to death.

She was so busy berating herself in her own head that she didn't even notice when the water stopped and Damon came back into the room. She did notice, though, when he gently pried her hands off her face and pulled her to stand up with him. She raised a questioning eyebrow but he only ushered her into the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that he had run a bubble bath, complete with candles along the tub. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck from behind.

"First of all," he said into her ear, "you're lying again if you say you never envisioned us having sex. I know you used to check me out and think about all the dirty things I could do to you."

A slow smile formed on Bonnie's lips.

"Secondly, I may have had a lot of sex, including being slutty enough to sleep with both of your friends, but that doesn't mean I'm expecting you to do tricks for me or something." He kissed her ear and slid his hands down to the bottom of her shirt. He tugged on it and she lifted her arms. "I like that you're inexperienced. That means I get to be the first one to discover you because, let's face it, Baby Gilbert probably didn't even know where to stick his dick."

"Damon," she laughed.

He hooked his fingers into her shorts and pulled them and her panties down in one swoop. She shivered a little because she was completely naked in front of him. He kissed his way up her back, to her shoulders, then her neck.

"And lastly," he whispered, "Elena may have been a 9, but everything we've done together is already better than anything I ever did with her. And do you know why?"

"Why?" she asked, in a shaky and aroused breath.

Damon turned her around and pressed her naked body to his clothed one. Even in the dark bathroom that was only illuminated by candles, she could see his baby blue eyes and the intensity in them.

"I like you, Bonnie," he said. "I like _you_. Not because you look like somebody I used to be obsessed with and not because I wanted to take something that belonged to my brother. There's no bullshit with you. So tonight, we're going to take a bath together and when we finish, I'm gonna lay you down on that bed, kiss every inch of your body and screw your brains out. Do you think you could let me do that?"

If words could produce an orgasm, Bonnie was sure she would have come right then and there. Damon's words washed over like a caress and he was hitting all the right spots. Her eyelids were heavy with desire and she almost wobbled on her feet.

"Yes," she said.

"Good. Now get in the tub."

It was one of the few commands from Damon that she didn't mind following. She turned on her unsteady legs and slid into the hot water, letting it seep into her muscles and bones. She almost moaned at how good it felt, and she noticed that Damon had used some of her bath salts, too. She looked up at him and watched as he toed off his shoes, then pulled his shirt over his head. Her eyes scanned his skin, which still retained a smidgeon of the tan he'd gotten on the beach, and her gaze followed his hands as they unbuttoned his jeans.

Her heart rate picked up again when she realized that she was about to see his penis for the first time. She had grabbed it, both under and over his clothes, but she hadn't actually seen it. She had an idea in her head of what it looked like, but the real thing blew that out of the water. When he pulled his pants down and stood back up, his erection sprang out and her throat went dry. Bonnie hadn't seen a lot of male parts, but she knew that his was perfect: long enough to hit everything and thick enough to stretch her in the most pleasurable way. Veins ran up and down the shaft and it curved just slightly to the left, giving the impression that it was seeking her out.

"Damn," she whispered.

"You like?" he asked with a smile.

She was too aroused to be embarrassed and she watched with hungry eyes as Damon and his beautiful dick walked towards the tub. He purposely stopped in front of her, giving her an up-close inspection of his not so little friend, and then he eased in behind her. He situated her between his legs and nestled her butt right on his crotch. They didn't speak as he took his time washing her skin and kissing every place he could get his mouth on. Between his mouth and the heat of the water, Bonnie's temperature began to rise and she was sure she was going to sweat out her hair. She couldn't have cared less.

When he finished with her, she turned around and returned the treatment. After they were both clean, Bonnie straddled him and their mouths met like magnets. Their kissing was hungry and possessive and borderline sloppy. Their hips rocked together and she knew that with one slip of her hip, he would be inside her. She wanted it so badly that she almost did it, but Damon stopped her and lifted her up. He held out his hand and helped her out of the tub, then he carried her to the bed and lay her on it. Rather than towel her off, he licked her entire body, from head to toe, slurping up every trace of water he encountered.

By the time he finished his excruciatingly thorough cleaning, Bonnie was shaking with anticipation. She grabbed his face and brought him on top of her, where their skin sealed together at the same time as their lips. Bonnie attacked his mouth, trying to taste all of him at once, but Damon was agonizingly slow. He held her jaw in his hand and made her accept his slow tempo, and that only made her whimper.

"Damon," she said, and she barely recognized her own sexy voice.

"Are you ready now?" he asked, sucking her bottom lip and then biting it.

"Yesss," she hissed.

"Are you sure you're not too nervous?" he asked, even as she wrapped her legs around his waist and hoisted her hips to try to make him enter her.

"No. Please stop teasing me," she begged.

Damon reached between her legs and grabbed himself. He ran the engorged head of his penis against her drenched slit and she moaned in his ear. He did that several more times, until she was practically panting and pleading with him. He finally slid the head inside and her head fell back in relief. But just as quickly as he'd done that, he removed it and went back to teasing her with the strokes up and down her opening.

"Damon, please!" she cried.

She felt him smile against her mouth but he made no attempts to give her what she wanted. He simply repeated the process of dipping just a little inside and pulling out until she was so worked up that she was teetering on the edge of orgasm and there had been hardly any penetration.

"Look at me," he instructed. Bonnie managed to focus her lust-filled eyes on him and the way he was looking at her made her shiver. "Look at me while I fuck you," he whispered.

And then he finally slid his entire length into her, stopping only when he reached the hilt. Bonnie's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she groaned so loudly that she was sure people in town could hear her. She involuntarily clenched and Damon cursed about how good she felt. She already felt like she was going to explode from all the teasing and foreplay and after two more full strokes, she could feel herself about to lose it. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him impossibly closer. She tried to tell him how close she was but every word ended up as a mangled mess.

"Uh, uh, uh" was all she could get out.

"Look at me, baby," he said, and he held her face in one hand. "I want to watch you come."

He swirled his hips and plunged deep and slow and her nails dug into his skin. With each stroke, she got closer and closer until he hit just the right spot and her head snapped back and she screamed and locked her legs around him so tightly that she could have broken a bone.

"Oh shit!" she yelled. "Oh shit! Oh God! It's. So. Good," she called, matching the tempo of his hips.

A dizzying euphoria took over every cell in her body but before Bonnie could come down from her high, Damon pulled out and turned her over. She lay on her stomach, still trying to get her wits about her, when he entered her again. This time from behind. Her eyes popped open and the sensations from before returned tenfold. Damon breathed on the back of her neck, grunting and panting and having absolutely no mercy on her.

"You feel so good," he said. "Your pussy's so wet for me. Is it good for you, baby?"

"Yes, yes, yes," she called.

"Do you love this dick?" he asked, biting her shoulder.

"God, yes," she moaned and threw her butt back at him in reaction to his bite, only to find that her motion added to the pleasure. He groaned in approval, so she kept doing it until her hips were meeting his and their bodies were slapping together. Their moans commingled and got louder and more frequent and Bonnie was again on the edge of ecstasy. Damon was hitting her spot with every stroke and instinctively, she reached between her legs and strummed her clit. The feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

"I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come," she chanted.

"Do it for me, baby," he begged. "Scream my name."

And when the moment came, Bonnie did scream his name at the top of her lungs. She cried out for him like she was in the desert and he had a gallon of water. Her fingers balled in the sheets and her petite body locked in place while her orgasm seized every part of her being. She was barely conscious enough to notice when Damon growled and pulled out just in time to spill his seed all over the sheets between her legs. His head fell onto her back and he heaved like he had just run a marathon.

The room was silent except for the sounds of their heavy pants and stray whimpers. Damon slowly removed himself from her body and Bonnie worked up the strength to roll onto her back. Their eyes met and he smiled. It wasn't a smirk or a lopsided grin, but a genuine smile. And it was in that moment that Bonnie knew that she was falling in love with Damon Salvatore.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Before her relationship with Damon, Bonnie had never known bliss. She had been generally happy for most of her life, even blindingly happy a few times, but it was nothing compared to the euphoria that she felt with Damon. In the month since they had slept together the first time, they had become nearly inseparable. They talked, laughed, dated and had a lot of passionate, bone-shaking sex.

Bonnie was smitten.

It was a rainy Friday night and the regular gang was huddled around the Salvatore living room, watching the girls' favorite movie: "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Matt and Caroline were snuggled up under a blanket on the floor, Elena and Stefan were similarly situated on one couch and Bonnie and Damon were on another couch. With a large comfortable blanket thrown over them, Bonnie was sitting on Damon's lap and nuzzling his ear. Every now and then, she sucked his earlobe into her mouth and he responded by pinching her butt. She wanted to watch the movie but Damon's scent and body were just too distracting. Her lips found their way to his mouth and before she could stop herself, they were making out. Noisily.

"Oh my God," Caroline complained. She threw a few pieces of popcorn at the duo. "Can you two chill with that, please? I can't even hear Matthew McConaughey's fine ass over your lip smacking!"

Bonnie smiled and slowly dragged her mouth away from Damon, who chased her and held her in place for another wet kiss.

"You guys are being kinda loud," Elena snickered.

"I swear, you act like a new couple or something!" Caroline continued to complain. "Don't you have sex like three times a day? Aren't you tired of each other yet?"

"I could never get tired of you, baby," Damon said to Bonnie, loud enough for everyone to hear. Bonnie chuckled girlishly but then stood up and offered her hand to Damon.

"Since we're obviously being a nuisance," she said, sticking her tongue out at Caroline, "let's go to the kitchen to find some food. Maybe that will occupy our mouths."

"One can hope," Caroline called after them.

Bonnie was still giggling when Damon scooped her up and pressed her against the fridge. He attacked her mouth like he hadn't already had her twice that day and she responded by burying her hands in his hair and wrapping her legs around his waist. They kissed like that for a few minutes before Bonnie's grumbling stomach interrupted them.

"Mm," she whimpered, "I guess I do need to eat something."

"I've got some meat right here for you," he said. And he pressed her hand to his erection.

"Damon," she moaned. "Maybe later. I do have to keep up my strength with the way you're wearing me out."

He smirked, obviously proud of himself, and gently placed her feet on the floor.

"FIne," he sighed. "Sit down and let me get you something."

Bonnie pecked his lips, then parked herself on a stool at the gigantic counter. She watched Damon as he opened the refrigerator door and leaned down to inspect the contents. She couldn't stop her eyes from wandering to his butt. He had such a nice butt. She loved to grab it and push him deeper when he was on top of her. She shook her head and almost laughed at herself over how easily her mind slipped into dirty thoughts these days. Leave it to Damon to completely corrupt her.

"I have an idea," he said, popping up from the fridge, empty-handed. "Sit right there."

She watched in confusion as he disappeared upstairs, then returned with one of her silk night scarves. She arched an eyebrow and watched as he folded it a couple of times, making it long and slim. He held it up to her face and attempted to cover her eyes with it, but she ducked her head.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Relax, Little Bird, you'll like it."

"You're blindfolding me when I want to eat? Can't we play this game after my stomach isn't collapsing into itself?"

"I'm going to feed you," he said with a devious grin. "You just won't know what until it's in your mouth."

The Old Bonnie probably would have protested and demanded he be more practical. But the new more relaxed and sexually fulfilled Bonnie was up for just about anything and she leaned forward to allow Damon to cover her eyes. He gently tied the scarf around her head and waved his hand in front of her. When she didn't say anything, he lifted her off the stool and deposited her on the floor next to the fridge.

Bonnie wiggled with excited anticipation as she heard him rummaging around. She could hear glass clinking and she wondered what he might have up his sleeve. She waited patiently while he got his things together, and then her hair stood on end when she felt his warm body situated right in front of her.

"Open," he directed.

She followed his instruction and was happily surprised when a chilled pineapple chunk entered her mouth.

"Yummy," she said. She could practically hear him smiling.

"You like?"

"Mm hm. More please."

He fed her several more pieces of fruit, followed by a few strawberries and grapes. He gave her a sip of water, then switched to chips and cheese. Not knowing what was coming was exciting and not being able to see Damon as he fed her was strangely erotic. He kissed her every now and then and he fed her that way until she was full. She was about to pull her blindfold off when he stopped her.

"One more thing," he said. "Then you can take it off."

Bonnie willingly opened her mouth and he tapped her lips until she stuck her tongue out. She almost laughed when she felt thick, sweet honey coat her tongue. She moaned as she swallowed it and she opened up for more. Before she could swallow the second dose, though, Damon encased her face and brought his lips to her. He snaked his tongue inside her mouth and the honey slithered from her mouth to his. She moaned again and crawled on top of him. She managed to get the blindfold off and he pulled her onto his lap. She ground her hips on him for a moment before he rolled them over and lay her on the floor.

She watched with lustful eyes as he pulled her top off, followed by her pants, and covered her entire body with honey. He licked it off, one inch at a time, and when their mouths joined again, his face was sticky with the sweet substance. Bonnie yanked at his shirt until he discarded it and he managed to get his jeans down to his ankles and he sucked her bottom lip at the same time as he entered her. She gasped and their eyes locked as they had sex as quietly as possible on the kitchen floor.

When they finished, Bonnie laughed and Damon smiled against her skin.

"What's so funny?" he mumbled.

"You. You're a very bad influence on me."

"Oh yeah? Well you're kinda fun when you're not being a judgey little witch."

"And you're kinda fun when you're not being a complete asshole."

Damon smirked and kissed her softly.

"I guess we're a good pair, then."

"I guess so."

...

When Bonnie awoke the next morning, she didn't open her eyes immediately. She moved a little and could tell that whatever she was sleeping on was very hard and uncomfortable. She thought back to the night before and tried to remember if she and Damon had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor. She reached behind her to feel him, but he wasn't there. She frowned and opened her eyes, only to find herself not in the Salvatore boarding house at all.

She shot up and looked around, only to find herself in the middle of the forest. She sprang her to feet and looked at herself, dressed in her pajamas, and wondered how the hell she had gotten there. Her heard snapped in every direction, trying to make heads or tails of the situation, and her heart thumped hard against her chest as confusion and fear overcame her. She heard a twig snap and her body went into fight or flight mode immediately. She held out her hand, ready to throw some magic at whatever came for her, only to remember that she didn't have her powers. She had never felt so vulnerable.

She held her breath and listened for several long seconds, trying not to let the deafening sound of her heart drown out the sounds of the forest. When nothing emerged from the woods, she took a deep breath and tried to gather herself. She had to think. She had to calm down and think.

Her hands immediately went for the pockets of the pajama pants that she stole from Damon and she nearly fell to her knees in prayer when she found her cell phone. She had 20 missed calls, all from Damon, and her fingers shook as she called him back.

"Bonnie?" he answered frantically. "Where the hell are you?! I've been losing my freaking shit over here worrying about you!"

"I don't know," she said shakily. "The woods somewhere. I don't know where. It doesn't look familiar."

"The woods? How did you get there?"

"I don't know!" she said, almost in a scream. "I have no idea, Damon. I just woke up here and I'm scared."

"Okay, okay, calm down," he said. "Take a breath. Look around you. You know the woods. You know where you are."

Bonnie again looked around but in her frazzled state, nothing made sense. She wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry but she knew she couldn't do that. She had to get a hold of herself. With the phone still clutched to her ear, she tried to figure out where she was but she couldn't. She heard Damon moving around and then her grandmother's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Bonnie, baby, you've got to think hard," Sheila said. "If you project the image of your surroundings hard enough, I might be able to see where you are."

"Grams," Bonnie said, nearly in tears, "I don't have my powers anymore. I can't do it."

"You're a Bennett witch, Bonnie," she said with her stern voice. "Your magic is never truly gone. You just have to try. Try for me."

Bonnie nodded shakily and then put the phone on speaker. She sat down, cross-legged, and took several deep breaths. She centered herself and got her heart to calm down just a tick. She looked to her left and noticed a single pink flower growing. She looked straight ahead and saw leaves shaking, which meant the wind was blowing north. She looked to her right and saw a downed tree branch. If she strained, she was sure she could wear water trickling. She took all those images and seared them into her brain. She closed her eyes and thought of her grandmother, of Damon, of wanting to get out of the forest before someone or something killed her.

She wasn't sure how long she focused so intently but at some point, Damon's voice came from the phone.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," he said.

Bonnie'e eyes snapped open and she gasped when she realized that she was floating a few inches from the ground. She fell hard onto her butt when her concentration broke, but a smile cracked on her lips and grew into a grin. Despite the fact that she was still scared to death, she couldn't help but be happy. Her grandmother was right; she did still have some magic.

"BONNIE!" Damon's voice shouted exactly twenty minutes later.

She jumped up and looked in the direction of his voice, and when she saw him emerge from the trees, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms. He held her tightly and kissed her several times before pulling back to inspect her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," she promised. "I'm okay."

He brushed hair out of her face and pressed his forehead to hers. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. How did you find me?"

"You projected your thoughts into my head," he said, smiling a little bit. "My little witch is back."

She smiled at him but quickly came back to reality.

"We need to talk to Grams."

"She's waiting for you at the boarding house."

When they got back to the house, Sheila was sitting in Damon's room, away from prying ears. She approached her granddaughter and held her face gently.

"Are you okay, child?" she asked softly.

"I'm confused. What is going on?"

Sheila gave her a sad smile and said, "they're calling for you to come home."

"Who?"

"Jeremy." She looked at Damon and said, "and Elena."

Dread came over Bonnie at the thought that her perfect little bubble was about to pop.

"Can we...not go?" she asked.

"They have a witch opening the portal and once she does, you'll have no choice but to go back. I'm sorry, honey. I know you like it here."

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

Sheila shook her head and Bonnie looked at Damon, whose lips were drawn in a tight line. She hadn't seen him look angry in so long that she'd almost forgotten what it looked like. She reached for him but he moved and then left the room altogether. Bonnie sighed and turned back to her grandmother.

"How long before we have to go back?" she asked quietly.

"I can't say for sure, but it'll be soon. They're opening the portal and you were drawn to it without even knowing. You don't have much time left here, so try to make the most of it."

She held Bonnie's face in her hands, then kissed her forehead. With that, Sheila was gone and Bonnie was alone in the room. She sat on the edge of the bed and allowed all her thoughts to flood her mind. Going back home meant going back to all her problems and all the drama. It meant Elena and Jeremy. And she had no idea what it meant for her and Damon.


	13. Chapter 13

**Fair warning, this chapter is short but I think you'll like it. Please no complaints about the length. I'll make up for it in the next chapter but it was all too much for this update.  
**

Chapter 13

Damon was perched on a bar stool at the Grille, drowning his thoughts in Jack Daniels. He knocked back a third shot and slid the empty glass to the bartender, signaling that he wanted one more. Even though he had drunk his body into oblivion as a vampire, his human form still had human tolerance and he was feeling a nice buzz. And he needed it. Because since Sheila had dropped the bomb that he and Bonnie were returning home, he'd had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach that only copious amounts of alcohol could mask.

He couldn't really describe the way he felt, knowing that their happy little world was going to come crashing down. He was mad, sad, frustrated, nervous and a litany of other emotions that he didn't like feeling. It was times like this that he missed being a vampire. He wished that he could just snap someone's neck or take his hurt out on someone else. That someone else had been Bonnie once upon a time. Now he couldn't dream of hurting her.

When had that changed?

When they first arrived in their alternate world, he decided to kick back and go with the flow and have fun getting his uptight little witch to loosen up for once. And it was fun, at first. Then, it was more than that. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment his feelings became deeper than reluctant friendship. He thought maybe it was on the Bahamas trip. Or maybe when he missed her like hell during their week apart. It didn't really matter either way. The fact was that he had fallen hard for his little bird and he couldn't imagine relinquishing what they had.

After the fourth shot, his thoughts got all jumbled and he pushed it out of his mind entirely. He hated feelings and he really hated being sad, so he drank until he didn't feel any of it.

Eventually, he stumbled his way out of the bar and had to hail a taxi because he was way too drunk to drive. He supposed that he could have tried it but he wasn't sure what happened if one died on the Other Side. He wasn't ready for real death, yet. Not before he finished exploring what he had with Bonnie.

The cab dropped him off at the boarding house and Damon managed to work his way up to his room. He expected to see Bonnie, but he didn't expect to find her packing. All her clothes were neatly folded on the bed and she was putting things away in suitcases.

"What the hell are you doing?" he blurted out.

Bonnie glanced over her shoulder at him and returned her attention to her packing.

"I didn't think you were coming back," she said with a little bite.

"What are you doing?" he asked again. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"I'm going to stay with Grams."

"What the hell for?" he asked, immediately angry.

Bonnie frowned at him and sniffed in his direction. "Are you drunk?"

"As a skunk. Now answer my question."

"I don't want to argue with you, Damon. You're drunk and I'm not in the mood."

She tried to walk past him but he blocked her way.

"Why. Are. You. Leaving?" he growled, narrowing his electric blue eyes at her. Bonnie's jaw ticked and she folded her arms over her chest.

"Because. We're going back home so we might as well start acting like it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means," she mumbled, sliding past him and zipping up one of her bags.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. You're gonna have to spell it out for me."

Bonnie threw her head back and sighed. Damon took the opportunity to come up behind her and grab her hips. He pulled her against his body and kissed the back of her neck. She jerked away and he groaned.

"Don't do that, Bonnie," he said. "Don't pull away from me."

"What do you expect me to do?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "You know what it's going to be like when we go back. Once Elena sees you, she's going to throw her arms around your neck and stick her tongue down your throat and fuck your brains out! And don't act like you won't let her because you've been pining over her like some stupid little puppy since you showed up in Mystic Falls!"

Rage filled his veins and grew exponentially thanks to the Jack Daniels.

"Oh yeah?" he shouted. "And what about you? You're not gonna take Jeremy's whiny ass back even though he treated you like shit?! You're just gonna be docile little Bonnie, letting everyone use you as a doormat. Fine, go back to him. Have horrible sex with him and paint each other's toenails like good little lesbians."

His chest huffed and puffed and he was fully prepared to engage in the type of bickering that only the two of them could do, but he noticed that Bonnie's exasperation was slowly being replaced by a small smile. Then a big smile. Then laughter.

"Lesbians?" she asked.

And just like that, he was smiling too. "Well...yeah...you know, the toenails and sleepovers and stuff."

Bonnie shook her head and sighed. "This place has really made us soft, Damon. We can't even argue like we used to."

"Good. Because I don't want to argue with you."

She put her hands on her hips and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Then what do you want to do?" she asked softly.

"I just want to be with you."

The honesty in his voice surprised even him, but he didn't let it stop him from joining her. He pulled her hips to him again but this time, she didn't move away. He tucked some hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. Bonnie rested her head on his chest and hugged his waist, and they hugged quietly for a while.

"What does this mean for us?" she asked in that same soft tone.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Maybe we should just stop."

"Is that what you want?"

"No."

"Then why would we do it?"

"To keep ourselves from getting in any deeper."

Damon lifted her chin and their eyes met.

"And how deep are we right now?"

The air between them hung heavily as he waited for her to answer. She opened and closed her mouth a few times and he could see the flutter of her pulse in her neck.

"I think you know," she finally said.

"I'm afraid I don't. You're gonna have to spell it out for me," he said with a little smile as he echoed his words from earlier.

"You go first."

He encased her face with his hands and stared into her eyes so she would know how serious he was being.

"I'm in love with you," he said. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders and a warm feeling spread throughout him as he finally shared what he had been feeling for a while. Bonnie's eyes shut for a moment and she looked as if she was letting his confession wash over her. When she opened her eyes again, he asked, "are you in love with me too?"

"Yes. You know I am."

"Then forget everything else."

"We can't. They're our friends, Damon. You and Elena have so much history. So do Jeremy and I. What will do when we get back?"

"We'll worry about that when we get back," he said. She started to protest but he kissed her and her words died on his lips. When he pulled away and looked at her again, he said the first thing that bubbled up from his heart. "Marry me."

"What?" she asked, her green eyes wide.

"Marry me," he repeated, this time with more confidence.

"You're drunk."

"Yeah, so? I'm not incapacitated. I want you to marry me. You already agreed once."

"Other Side Bonnie agreed once, not me."

"Guess what, baby? You are Other Side Bonnie now."

"Listen, I know things are great between us right now and we're both feeling the pressure of having to leave, but marriage is such a big step. Marriage is forever, Damon. We can't just do something like this on a whim."

"You know yourself. You know that you would never have agreed to marry me if you didn't think I would be a suitable husband for you. Since we've been here, I've only tried to make you happy and I want to continue doing that as long as we're here. When we go back, we can act like it never happened if that's what you want to do. But in this world, you love me and I love you and we should get married and have a house full of kids and get old together and have everything we've ever wanted. So for once in your life, don't think. Just go with your heart and say you'll be my wife."

Bonnie looked at him and her face was unreadable. Damon's heart leapt into his throat and he briefly worried that the Jack had gotten the best of him. He'd always been so emotional and once liquor was added to the equation, he couldn't hold back. He was sure that Bonnie was going to shoot him down and give him a very practical list of reasons why they couldn't and shouldn't get married. But then she spoke and surprised the hell out of him.

"Okay," she breathed. "I'll be your wife."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Bonnie couldn't recall a time that she had been so nervous. As she and Damon drove to her parents' house for Sunday dinner, she couldn't shake the nerves. They were going to tell her parents about their decision to get married immediately and she had no idea how they would take it. She had already told Caroline and Elena, who had in turn told Stefan and Matt, and they were shocked, to say the least. Caroline was disappointed that she wouldn't get to plan a big shindig, but everyone was supportive and excited. Bonnie had also told Grams, who only smiled knowingly and requested to be their officiant.

"Hey judgey," Damon said, as he turned his car into their neighborhood. "You keep shaking like that and you'll jar your brain loose."

"Shut up," she said, taking a swat at his arm. "I'm nervous."

"No, really?" he teased. He reached over and took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "Just calm down. It'll be fine."

"But they're going to have so many questions," she whined.

"And we've already agreed on what we'll tell them. They really can't get mad anyway. They know we're getting married. It's just a little sooner than expected."

Bonnie knew he was right but that didn't stop her heart from racing. When Damon pulled into the driveway of her parents' home, she took a deep breath and waited for him to open the door for her. He helped her out and kissed her forehead in a silent show of support. She nodded and they held hands as they walked up the porch and rang the doorbell.

"Sweetie!" Abby said excitedly as soon as she opened the door. She pulled Bonnie in for a hug and kissed her cheek. "Hi. Damon, hi," she said with a big smile.

"Mrs. Bennett, looking lovely as always," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, you flatterer," she laughed. "Come inside, guys. I made your favorite, sweet pea."

Bonnie's nerves eased just a little when she smelled fried chicken and her mom's mouth-watering homemade macaroni and cheese. When she was younger, she would get full off several plates of that macaroni and nothing else. Her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered and she abandoned Damon to join her mom in the kitchen. She heard Rudy and Damon exchange manly greetings and talk about football. They set the table while Bonnie and her mom brought out all the food: chicken, macaroni, potato salad and honey-butter rolls.

God, she was going to miss her mom's food when they went back.

Once they all dug in to eat, Bonnie relaxed and had a good time with three of her favorite people in the world. Her dad and Damon had a funny relationship that she wished she could carry with her back home. She had always dreamed of a tight-knit family, one where her blood relatives and her friends loved each other as much as she loved them. The thought of returning to Mystic Falls, where she had no parents and no Grams, was enough to diminish the smile on her face.

"Are you okay, honey?" Rudy asked, breaking her from her depressing thoughts.

Three sets of eyes fell on her and Bonnie briefly looked at Damon. He lifted his eyebrows, quietly asking when she was going to break the news, and she decided it was as good a time as any.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," she said. "But there is something that Damon and I would like to tell you guys."

Both Rudy and Abby looked apprehensive.

"I'm not pregnant," Bonnie blurted out and they looked relieved.

"Maybe lead with that next time," Damon suggested in a not-so-quiet whisper. She slapped his arm.

"What is it?" Abby asked.

"Well...as you know, Damon and I are getting married. And we've decided on a date."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" her mom said excitedly. "When?"

Bonnie's heart sped up and she again looked at Damon before saying, "Wednesday."

Rudy choked on his Coke and Abby's eyes widened.

"Wednesday?" she asked. "Like...this Wednesday?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Rudy asked, having gotten control of his esophagus again. "What's the rush?"

"We just don't see the point in waiting," Bonnie said. "Things happen every day. Bad things. Unexpected things. I guess I would just hate to put off something this important and possibly have someone I love miss it. Grams isn't getting any younger and I'm afraid that we wait for a year or longer, she might not be there to see it."

All of that was true.

"Oh, honey," Abby said, reaching over and taking her daughter's hand. "Your Grams is strong and she's got a lot of years left. She's in wonderful health."

"I know, but none of us can guarantee tomorrow and this is really important to me. I know it's sudden and maybe you guys don't approve, but we're getting married on Wednesday and I want both of you there to support us."

Bonnie expected some kind of backlash or pushback, but both of her parents nodded.

"Okay, sweetie," Abby said. "Of course we'll be there."

"With bells on," her dad added.

And just like that, all of her anxiety washed away and she was again thankful for the opportunity to have her parents in this life. When they were around, they were actually kind of awesome.

The rest of dinner went off without a hitch. They talked about the details of the wedding over some peach cobbler and when they were finished, Damon and Rudy cleared the dishes and washed them. Bonnie sat on the back porch while Abby excused herself for a moment. When she returned, she sat next to her daughter and smiled.

"You know I'm proud of you, right?" she asked. "You've turned into such a beautiful, smart, loving young woman and I couldn't be happier for you."

Bonnie's heart swelled knowing that she had her mother's love and acceptance, things she sorely missed in her real life.

"I have something I want to give you," Abby continued. She produced from behind her back a necklace with a brilliant blue stone set in the middle of it. She motioned for Bonnie to turn around and then she clasped it behind her back. "This was your grandmother's, and her mother's before that, and hers before that. Each Bennett woman passes it down to her daughter and I want you to have this as your something old and something blue."

"It's beautiful, Mom," Bonnie said with a genuine smile. "Thank you." She looked down at the gem and touched it, and it seemed to brighten underneath her fingers.

"Legend has it that if you wish on the gem, your wish will come true." Abby rolled her eyes. "You know your Grams with all her superstitions."

"Did you wish on it?"

"I did."

"What'd you wish for?"

"Well, your dad and I had issues getting pregnant. We had been married for some years and really wanted a family, but it just wasn't happening. One night, in complete desperation, I wished for a child. And I got you." She smiled softly and cupped Bonnie's cheek. "Use it wisely. It just might work."

Bonnie and Damon left an hour later, and the ride back to the boarding house was pleasant. They rode with the windows down and Damon held her hand on one side and drove with the other.

"You seem a lot happier now than you were on the way over here," he noted.

"The pressure's off," she laughed. "They took it surprisingly well."

"They probably figure the sooner you marry me, the sooner they can get some grandkids. Maybe we should work on that tonight."

Bonnie snickered and rolled her head to the side, letting the wind rush past her face and hair. She was going to ask Damon to just keep driving, and as if he could read her mind, he bypassed the boardinghouse and kept going for a while. When they finally got home and curled up against each other in bed, she ran her hand over her new necklace and Damon looked at it.

"That's nice," he said. "Where'd you get it?"

"My mom. It's been passed down through the family. It allegedly grants wishes."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm hm."

"Okay, make a wish then."

"Hm, well I would like to wish for us to stay here but I don't think that's a possibility so I won't waste it on that."

"So what do you wish for?" he asked, rubbing his nose against hers. Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed and she planted a soft kiss against his lips.

"I wish that whatever happens between us when we go back, we won't lose this feeling."

"Agreed." He rolled on top of her and smirked. "Now get naked and make _my_ wishes come true."

...

When Wednesday morning rolled around, Bonnie's stomach was in knots. She hadn't been able to sleep at all because her thoughts were on the wedding and how everything would go. She'd already been through her checklist five million times and she knew that everything was in order but she couldn't shake the jitters.

"I think I'm gonna vomit," she said as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at herself. Her hair was in about fifty different rollers and her makeup was exquisitely done. She had on underwear and her garter belt and the only left to do was put on her dress, a perfectly marvelous one that she had managed to find off the rack at the local dress store.

"Bon, this is totally normal," Elena assured her, as she stood next to her and finished curling her own hair.

"Yeah, people get super nervous before their weddings all the time," Caroline said, plucking a few hairs from her eyebrows. "You look fabulous. All you need to do is put on your dress, say 'I do,' and don't call him the wrong name."

"Great, now that you've put that into my head, I'll probably call him Stefan or something," Bonnie said as another lump of anxiety formed in the pit of her stomach.

"I was kidding!"

"I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back."

"Don't run off!" Caroline called behind her. "I have the nose of a bloodhound! I'll track you down."

Bonnie managed to chuckle. She left the girls in the bathroom and closed the door, leaving herself alone in Damon's mammoth bedroom. He had been banned from the house since the night before, considering that the groom was not supposed to see the bride before the wedding for fear of bad luck. He had tried his damndest to stay but Caroline was pretty insistent that he follow the rules.

For the moment, Bonnie was happy for the solitude. She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed loudly. She was such a jumble of emotions but underneath all the nerves, she was happy. Even though she had never been one of the girls who'd dreamed of her wedding since kindergarten, she wanted to get married to a good man who would be a good partner. Somehow, that person ended up being Damon. If someone had told her that five years earlier, she wouldn't have believed it. Now, she couldn't imagine it being anyone else.

A soft knock on the door drew her from her thoughts and she pulled on a robe and tightened it. She opened the door, not expecting to find her almost-husband behind it.

"Well, hello, sexy," he said with a wolfish smirk.

"Damon!" she said. She looked behind her to make sure the girls hadn't heard, and she joined him out in the hallway. "What the hell? You're not supposed to see me until the wedding!"

"I've always been a rule-breaker. You look hot."

He tried to touch her and she smacked his hand away.

"If Caroline sees you, she'll kill you."

"I'll take my chances."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her before she could protest. He sucked her lips into his mouth and despite her best intentions, she gave in and swept her tongue across his. She felt him smile, which caused her to do the same thing. They kissed for a few minutes until he finally relinquished her. There was a slight ringing in her ears that she attributed to being aroused and excited and nervous. Her feelings must have shown on her face because Damon frowned a little.

"You okay?" he asked.

Bonnie opened her mouth to answer, but she stopped when the slight ringing became a shrill, persistent assault. Her knees buckled and she grabbed her head.

"Bonnie," Damon said, worried. "Bonnie, what's wrong? Talk to me."

"My...head," was all she could get out. The sound was only getting louder and louder and soon it was all she could hear. She saw Damon's lips moving and his eyes wide with fear but she couldn't understand what he was saying. She must have been screaming because Stefan appeared and assisted Damon in helping her up. Caroline and Elena ran out and the hallway became a panic area.

Bonnie could do nothing but clutch her head and cry out in pain. She was sure that her ears were bleeding and something told her that it wouldn't get better unless she went towards the sound. She broke away from the group and ran downstairs, trying to hold herself up even though the pain was crippling. She grabbed Damon's keys and stumbled outside to his car. She tried and failed to get inside and she jumped when he came from behind and turned her around to face him. His blue eyes were large and worried and he kept trying to say something, but she didn't know what.

"Drive," she said.

She shoved the keys in his hand and he helped her get into the passenger seat. He peeled out of the boarding house and Bonnie had to point and give him monosyllabic words to direct him. She did start to feel some relief as they got closer to the woods and the constant ringing became more like a loud pulsing sound. Damon skidded to a stop and Bonnie was able to force herself out. He came to her side and she followed the sound. It became duller and duller until it finally stopped, and they were in the exact same spot where she had woken up. A swirling hole was suspended a few feet off the ground.

"The portal," she said softly.

Bonnie turned to Damon and they shared a sad look of recognition. It was time to go home.

"Kind of shitty timing, huh?" he asked dryly. "They couldn't have waited until after I made you Mrs. Salvatore?"

"Mrs. Bennett-Salvatore," she corrected. And she gave him a little smile.

"You modern women."

He tried to sound like he was joking, but he just sounded sad. Kind of like how she felt.

"This sucks," she said.

"Yeah."

The portal swirled in front of them but neither of them moved. It wasn't until the ringing in her ears started again that Bonnie realized it wouldn't stop unless they went through.

"We have to go back, Damon," she said in a resigned sigh.

"Is that what you want?"

"Not even a little bit. But unless you want this portal to fry my brain, we don't have a choice."

He ran his hands through his hair and she knew that he was still trying to think of some loophole. When he came up with nothing, she took his hands and leaned up for a kiss.

"Whatever happens, I want you to know that this has been the best time of my life. Kinda sad that it had to happen when I'm technically dead, but thank you. For everything. For being yourself and for loving me."

He gave her a half-smile and tucked hair behind her ear.

"You never have to thank me for that. You're somewhat easy to love."

"Somewhat?" she smiled.

"Yeah. When you're not being judgey and bossy."

"I see you're getting back into the swing of things," she teased. "Is this what I can expect when we go back? Bickering?"

"No. You can expect this."

He capture her lips in his and they kissed wildly, like it would be their last time. When they pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I know we didn't get to have the wedding or exchange vows, but just for the record, I do," he said.

Bonnie smiled against his lips and nodded her head. "I do, too."

And with that, they turned towards the portal, hand-in-hand, and walked through.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Before Bonnie opened her eyes, her nostrils were assaulted with the clashing smells of disinfectant and unappetizing food. She rolled her head to the side and a small groan escaped her lips. Her head felt like it had been run over with a truck, her neck was stiff and the rest of her body was sore and immobile. It took all of her strength to open her eyelids, and when she did, she was greeted with the sight of a dimly-lit hospital room. She frowned, trying to get her bearings, and she fought against her screaming muscles to sit up. She looked around, her eyes bouncing from the television to the window to the chair beside her bed. A chair that was occupied by a snoring Jeremy.

His head was tossed back at an uncomfortable angle and with every inhale, his lips opened slightly and a resounding snore escaped. Bonnie wondered how she could have slept through the chainsaw-like noise, but she was happy to know that whatever had caused her to be in a hospital room, she wasn't alone. She tried to reach out for him, only to find her arms occupied with tubes and wires that hooked up to a machine.

"Jer," she said quietly. Her voice cracked from disuse and she cleared her throat. "Jeremy," she said a little louder.

He startled and yanked his head into an upright position. His brown eyes widened when he saw her and he nearly leapt out of his seat.

"Bonnie," he said with a happy smile. She could tell that he wanted to wrap her up in a big hug but thought better of it. Instead, he took her hands and kissed them repeatedly. "Oh my God, I can't believe you're awake and alive."

"What...happened?" she asked, her voice fighting her at every turn.

He jumped up and poured her a cup of water, which she downed like a woman in a dessert. He gave her a second cup and when she finished that, she sounded a little better.

"Why am I here?" she asked. "What happened?"

"I've been trying to get you back for six months, Bon," he said. His lips quivered and his eyes rounded like he might cry, but she shook her head in confusion.

"Six months?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Hold on. Let me get the doctor and tell everyone that you're awake."

"Jer, wait..."

But before she could get any answers out of him, he was out of the room. She sighed and rested her head against the soft pillows and nearly drifted back to sleep when the door opened again and many of her friends rushed inside: Jeremy, Elena, Caroline, and Stefan. Caroline covered her mouth and broke into tears and Elena hugged Stefan's arms like she needed support.

"Bonnie," Caroline wailed. And she came over and crushed her friend in a tight hug, wires be damned.

"Care," Bonnie said, "you're squeezing the shit out of me."

Caroline released her and said, "I'm sorry! I just can't believe you're alive."

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, still bewildered. "Alive? Jeremy said the same thing. What's going on?"

The four of them exchanged glances and Stefan stepped next to the bed and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Bonnie, what's the last thing you remember?" he asked.

She tried to think back, but thinking hurt her head even more than it currently did. She really didn't remember much of anything, other than that night in the woods.

"Uh...I remember we were trying to get you back. From the Other Side."

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed like they always did when he was contemplating something.

"That's it?" he asked. "I know you're tired but try to remember."

So Bonnie did try. Despite the pounding behind her eyes and the general pain and discomfort, she did try to remember.

"Damon," she finally said. And for some reason, saying his name conjured an image of him in her head and her stomach flipped. "Me and Damon were on the Other Side, waiting to die."

"Bon, you did die," Stefan told her gently. "You and Damon were gone for six months. We didn't think you'd ever come back."

"But we never stopped looking for you," Jeremy piped up, taking the other side of the bed and interlacing his fingers with hers. "We looked for you every day. We got a witch to open the portal and then you guys came back."

"What?" she asked, more confused than ever. "I was...dead...for six months? With Damon?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Where is Damon?"

"He would have come," Elena said, speaking for the first time. "But he couldn't stand to be around all the blood in the hospital."

Bonnie frowned. Since when could Damon not control himself around human blood?

"I'm lost," she admitted.

Stefan opened his mouth to speak again but he stopped when Bonnie's doctor came in. She was a young-looking Black woman with a kind face and a gentle smile. She listened to Bonnie's heartbeat, read her measurements from the machine and checked her reflexes.

"Well, my dear, you look good. How do you feel?"

"Like crap," she said dryly.

"That's to be expected. Your friends tell me that you hit your head pretty hard."

Bonnie's eyes briefly fluttered to her friends, who were discreetly nodding their heads for her to go along with the story.

"Uh, yeah."

"What day is it, Bonnie?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

"Do you remember how you hit your head?"

"No. The last thing I remember was being with my friends in the woods."

"And how long ago was that?"

Again, Bonnie's eyes flitted up and she saw Caroline hold up finger and mouth the correct answer.

"A week, I think."

"It's not uncommon to experience some memory loss after a head injury. We're going to run some tests and make sure that you're not bleeding from your brain or anything like that. If you check out physically, we'll get your set up with some therapy sessions to try to regain your memories. How does that sound?"

"Good, I guess."

"Okay," the doctor smiled. "I'll give you a few minutes with your visitors and then we'll check you out."

Once she was gone, Bonnie sighed.

"Can someone please explain to me what happened?"

Stefan again tried to explain but Caroline overtook him.

"Well, you and Damon got stuck on the Other Side. You died. We cried. We tried to bring you back. You're back. Now it's time for a welcome back party!"

Bonnie cracked a smile to appease Caroline, and it seemed to work. Stefan gave her a gentle pat on her shoulder.

"We'll explain later," he said. "For now, you need your rest."

She couldn't have agreed more. She accepted hugs Stefan, then Jeremy, then Caroline. When Elena approached for her embrace, Bonnie saw her watery eyes.

"Bon," she started, her voice wavering, "I'm so, so sorry. I know I have been an absolutely shitty friend for the past few years. I've been so caught up in my own drama that I let our friendship fall apart and you have no idea how much I missed you while you were gone. Or how much I wished and prayed for you to come back. I swear that I'm going to be a better friend, okay?"

Even though she still didn't understand what was going on, Bonnie did appreciate her friend's acknowledgment and apology and she gladly accepted. Their shared a long, warm hug and she waved them all goodbye.

For the next couple of days, Bonnie was subjected to a battery of annoying and probing tests. She checked out as completely healthy, with the exception of her memory loss. She couldn't even tell her doctor how extensive the loss was because of the supernatural nature of it. She accepted the prescription for therapy and when she was discharged, the nurse gave her a plastic bag filled with the belongings she'd had when she arrived at the hospital. Bonnie glanced at it in confusion; it looked like a bathrobe, some jewelry and hair rollers.

"Just gets weirder and weirder," she mumbled to herself when Caroline and Elena showed up to take her home.

She sat quietly in the back of Caroline's SUV as they drove down the familiar streets of Mystic Falls to her home. She basked in the chit-chat between Caroline and Elena, feeling normal for the first time in a while. They helped her out and into the house, and Bonnie was surprised when they both disappeared to the truck and returned with luggage.

"Uh, what's going on?" she asked.

"Bonnie Bennett, if you think for one second that we're going to let you stay here by yourself after everything you've been through, you're sadly mistaken," Caroline said matter-of-factly. "We're here for you, whether you like it or not."

Bonnie didn't even have the energy to object.

"Okay," she sighed and smiled. "But the price of admission is that I want as much information about this whole situation as possible."

"Sold," Elena said. "Now put on something comfortable and let's pig out on ice cream."

Bonnie did just that. She went up to her room and sat on her bed for a few minutes, taking everything in. She didn't understand why but something felt different. She felt like she hadn't been in her room in a long time, which she supposed made sense considering that she was apparently gone for six months. She slowly changed out of her hospital-issued clothes and donned her favorite sweatpants and T-shirt. When she went back downstairs, Elena had already spread out an assortment of goodies: ice cream, cookies, cupcakes and sodas. Bonnie's stomach grumbled in anticipation.

"Uh, God, that looks so good," she said. "After eating that hospital crap, I could shovel all of this into my mouth right now."

"Knock yourself out," Elena said with a big smile.

The three girls gathered around the counter and dove right into the details.

"So, someone please enlighten me," Bonnie said.

"Well, we don't really know much more than you do," Elena admitted. "You and Damon got stuck on the Other Side and you died. Jeremy and I went back to the woods every day trying to figure out how to get you back, if we could even get you back, and we finally found someone who helped us open the portal. We found both of you guys, unconscious, right there in the forest. Damon woke up but you were unresponsive so we took you to the hospital. You were there for a week before you came to."

Bonnie slowly chewed an Oreo and mulled over everything Elena said.

"What does Damon say? Does he remember anything?"

Elena sighed heavily. "He's been kind of MIA since you got back. From the extremely brief conversation we had, he doesn't remember anything."

"Why has he been gone? And what were you saying about him not being at the hospital because of the blood?"

"He's been transitioning again."

"What?" Bonnie asked, her eyes wide. "Transitioning again? To a vampire?"

"Our theory is that we was a human on the Other Side," Caroline said.

"Wow," she said slowly. "That's...crazy."

"You really don't remember anything?" Elena inquired.

"No. Nothing. It was a struggle to even remember being in the woods."

"Well, the important thing is that you're back now and we're so happy, Bon," Caroline said. "We missed you a lot. It sucked not having you here."

"Thanks, guys," she said with a genuine smile.

For the next few hours, the girls caught Bonnie up on what had happened in Mystic Falls during her absence. She was surprised to know that things had actually been pretty quiet. The travelers were gone, Matt was dating a new girl that they suspected was a vampire, and Caroline and Stephan were dating with Elena's blessing.

As the day shifted to night, Bonnie began to crave some real food on her stomach.

"How does pizza sound?" Elena asked.

"Amazing."

"Elena and I could do a little quick hunt and then go pick it up," Caroline offered. "If you're going to be okay by yourself for ten minutes."

"Guys, I promise I'll be fine. I would actually like a few minutes to myself, you know?"

"Fine. But if you're gone when we get back, I swear I'll find you myself and kill you," Caroline said with a pointed finger. Bonnie held up her hands in surrender.

Her friends left a little while later to hunt some furry woodland creatures and pick up the pizza and Bonnie took the time to enjoy the quiet of the house. She slowly climbed the stairs to her room and headed straight for the shower. She was quick since she knew her friends would be back soon. She toweled off and slipped into some shorts and a Mystic Falls High cheerleading shirt that fit a little too tightly from a few too many washings. She ran her hand over her bedspread, entertaining the thought of just going to bed, when a tapping noise came from her window.

Bonnie jumped and her head snapped up to see none other than Damon sitting on a branch in the tree right near her window. His black hair ruffled a little in the wind and his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. They stared at each other for a moment, and Bonnie was surprised by how she felt at seeing him. Typically whenever she was around him, she felt a mixture of anxiety, dread, irritation and a touch of fear. But at that moment, she felt...relieved. Maybe even a little happy?

It was odd.

She cautiously moved to the window and slid it up.

"Hi," he said with his signature smirk.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard through the grapevine that you were out of the hospital."

"And you came to check on me?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

He poked his bottom lip out and nodded his head from side to side. "Just seeing if you're alive is all." He craned his head around her shoulder and looked around. "Gonna invite me in?"

Normally, Bonnie would have scoffed and closed the window on his face. Maybe smashed a few of his indestructible fingers. But instead, she found herself nodding.

"Come in."

She moved back as he slithered his way inside. He looked around and nodded slowly.

"Girly, but not too girly," he assessed. "Kind of like you."

"Do you remember anything about the Other Side? Where we were? What we did?"

"Not a thing," he said. He walked to her desk and picked up a few trinkets, and she took them from him and did her best annoyed face.

"So, you and I were together, for six months, doing God knows what, and somehow we both made it back alive? We didn't kill each other? Sounds fishy to me."

"Maybe I charmed you with my winning personality," he grinned.

"Maybe you drugged me until I found you tolerable," she say dryly.

"I see that little bump on your noggin has done nothing to diminish your fun demeanor."

"What do you want, Damon?" she sighed. "I'm tired, I'm confused and I don't have the mental energy to spar with you right now."

"Oh, I don't know. You're doing fine so far."

Bonnie put her hands on her hips. "Elena says you've been missing lately."

"I'm not the most fun when I transition," he said with a grim smile. "Didn't want to get mad and go on a killing spree. A certain judgey little witch I know wouldn't approve of that."

"And since when do you care what I think?"

"Good point. Maybe I'll kill your neighbor."

"Damon..." she groaned.

"Okay, fine, I'll stick to the blood bags." His eyes scanned her from top to bottom and he quirked an eyebrow. "You look different."

"I look the same."

"No you don't."

She sighed loudly. "Okay, if I ask you how I look different, will you get please get out and let me rest?"

He did that crazy eye thing that said he would, so she dropped her arms. He looked at her intensely, his gaze going from her face, to her arms, to her chest, and then her legs. She felt a little shy under his scrutiny, and her cheeks flamed when he slowly walked behind her. Although she couldn't see him, she could almost feel his gaze on her butt.

"Your hips are wider," he announced. "And your ass is bigger."

She spun around and punched him in the arm.

"Are you saying I've gotten fat?!"

"No," he said with a devious grin. "I'm saying you've gotten fucked. A lot."

Bonnie's eyes widened to ridiculous proportions and her whole body warmed with embarrassment.

"You've been a naughty girl, Bonnie Bennett. Does Little Gilbert know that you let someone on the Other Side put his hands in your cookie jar?"

She had no idea what to say. She wanted to refute what he was saying but she had gotten a quick glimpse of her naked body in the mirror and even she had to admit that her backside looked a bit plumper. But to have Damon notice, and for him to look at her with what she could only describe as approval, was a bit disorienting.

Damon looked to the side and then smiled.

"The girls are almost here. Have fun tonight. Nice ass, by the way," he said with a wink.

As soon as the words came from his mouth, Bonnie froze. In that instant, she had a vision of her and Damon, in his room, in bed together. He had that same stupid smirk on his face and used the exact same phrase. Just as soon as it appeared to her, it was gone and so was Damon. She stood, more confused than ever, until Caroline burst through the door.

"Hey, pizza downstairs!" she said.

Bonnie snapped out of it and turned to her friend. She must have looked as strange as she felt because Caroline frowned immediately.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Uh yeah, just feeling tired."

"Pizza and bed for you, then. Come on."

Bonnie allowed her friend to lead her out of the room but she took one last look over her shoulder, only to find nobody there. She couldn't explain the disappointment when she realized that Damon was really gone. She didn't even like Damon, so why in the world did it feel like she missed him?

It was definitely time for some sleep.

...

**Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, guys! Please keep them coming! I don't expect this story will go on too much longer, so if you have ideas for new Bamon stories, let me know. Also with this story, if you have any interesting ideas for situations for our lovebirds to get into and "jog their memories" about what happened on the Other Side, let me know!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Caroline kept good on her promise of throwing a welcome back party. A few days after Bonnie was released from the hospital, Caroline turned the Grill into a festive party scene, complete with balloons, a banner that read "WELCOME BACK, BONNIE! (and Damon)" and a DJ that was playing Bonnie's favorite music all night. The bar was up and running and everyone in the town showed up to welcome back two of its natives. Anyone who asked where the pair had disappeared was simply compelled to not ask questions and enjoy the party.

Damon arrived and received a surprisingly warm welcome from everyone, even Caroline. He ordered a drink and headed to the pool table, where he played a few games with Stefan and Alaric. He was thrilled to have Ric back and he was even happy to see Stefan. He laughed and talked and felt completely loose for the first time in many years. Elena walked up to the table, draped herself over him and planted a big kiss on his lips. She looked beautiful with her hair down, a small amount of makeup and a short dress that showed off her legs.

"I missed you so much," she whispered against his lips.

As much as Damon knew he should want and bask in her attention, a nagging part of him felt guilty about showing affection in front of Stefan. He backed off a little bit and shot his brother an apologetic look, but Stefan only shrugged and nodded at Caroline.

"You and Barbie, huh?" Damon asked.

"Me and Barbie," Stefan confirmed with a smile.

"I'll try not take offense to that," Caroline said as she leaned her head on Stefan's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.

It kind of felt like the Twilight Zone to Damon: everyone getting along with no drama and no baddies to fight. But it also felt light. The weight of sibling rivalry was apparently a thing of the past and he couldn't say that he missed it. He'd finally won and it felt good.

Still...something pulled at him. Every time the doors to the Grill opened, his eyes shot to the entrance. He would never admit it out loud but he was waiting for Bonnie. Ever since the moment he'd woken up next to her in the forest, she had been on his mind. He wanted to see her, be near her, talk to her, and tease her. It was the craziest feeling and he didn't understand it. He'd always had something of a soft spot for the witch, despite outward appearances, but this was unlike anything he'd felt for her before.

He smelled her arrival before he saw it. Her witch blood called to him and her sweet heavy scent was very different from Elena's light, powdery smell. Elena's fragrance was airy and uncomplicated, much like her: pleasant but not much beneath the surface. Bonnie on the other hand smelled of fire and roses and passion and honey. Hers was the kind of scent that would drive a man crazy. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him.

Damon discreetly stepped away from the table and allowed Stefan to hit the balls while his blue eyes finally made contact with the object of his thoughts. Bonnie appeared like a vision amongst the crowd, her smile brightening the entire room. Her hair had been cut in a short bob with swooping bangs across her forehead. The style complimented her asymmetrical face well. His eyes traveled down to the tight sweater she wore and he immediately wondered if her breasts had always been that size: two perfect handfuls of flesh. He continued his visual journey down to her tight jeans, where he got a side view of a butt that had definitely expanded in the most pleasurable way.

She was laughing at something Jeremy said, and it wasn't until that moment that Damon even noticed the youngest Gilbert on her arm. Jeremy looked like the cat who caught the canary and he leaned down for a kiss.

_MINE!_

The thought slammed through Damon so hard and so fast that he snapped his poolstick with one hand. Stefan, Elena, Caroline and Alaric all looked in his direction, and his eyes widened in surprise. He had no idea where that thought came from.

"Hey, you okay?" Elena asked gently, brushing some dark hair off his forehead.

"Yeah, fine," he said. He even threw in a dazzling smile. "Guess I'm still getting used to my strength again."

Everyone seemed to accept his answer, so he took one last look at Bonnie before returning his attention to the pool table. He purposely ignored the sounds of her boots getting closer. But he could only ignore her presence for so long as she hugged everyone else and Caroline screeched about how happy she was that Bonnie had come.

"Of course," she laughed. "I couldn't miss my own party."

"Your drinks are free all night," Caroline said with a proud smile. "And they're playing your favorite songs."

"Aw, Care, guys, this is so sweet," Bonnie said with a big grin. "Really, I feel very loved."

"Well, you should. Because you are." Caroline flipped her hand in Damon's direction. "I even told them to throw in a couple of those old man songs that Damon likes."

"Hey, be nice," Bonnie said. "Damon was gone too."

He smirked at Caroline, who rolled her eyes but then smiled. Damon's gaze fell to Bonnie, who walked right in front of him. He itched to reach out and move her bangs out of her face so he could fully see her pretty eyes, but he managed to keep his hands to himself.

"Hi," she said with a bright smile. At that moment, he couldn't recall a time where she had smiled like that for him.

"Hello, little witch."

She opened her arms for a hug and he allowed it. She wrapped her slim, soft arms around his waist and her scent overtook every sense in his body, especially when she rested her head on his chest. A powerful urge to claim her and keep her close propelled Damon as he buried his nose in her hair and kissed the top of her head. She pulled away enough to look at him, her eyebrow raised in a silent question. Instead of letting her go like all the alarms in his head were telling him to, he reached up and finger-combed the bangs away from her eyes.

"There," he said. "I like it better when I can see your face."

She looked stunned at his comment, and when he looked around the pool table area, so did everyone else. Stefan's large forehead was pushed all the way back. Caroline's jaw was nearly on the floor. Ric's eyes were as wide as saucers. Jeremy's lips formed a thin, angry line. Elena's mouth was open and her eyes narrowed.

And Damon had no idea why he did what he did, other than he wanted to. Why in the world did he want to? He scrambled to cover up with his usual snark.

"Wouldn't want to miss those judgey eyes," he said.

And just like that, the awkwardness was over. Bonnie cracked a half-smile and moved away from him, leaving a cold spot on his chest where she had been. He wanted to pull her close again but he figured that he had been weird enough for one day. He had to get away from her if he was going to keep any semblance of sanity.

"I'm going to get a drink," he announced. "Anybody else want one?"

He had no takers so he excused himself and headed to the bar. He ordered a scotch and sat down on a stool, eyeing his friends at the pool table. Of course, his gaze kept going to Bonnie and everything she did caused some reaction in his body. Her smile made him smile. Her laugh made him dead heart flutter. Her gentle caresses of Jeremy's arms made him feel a murderous rage. When Jeremy leaned against the wall and pulled her against him so that her behind was nestled between his legs, Damon very nearly flew off the stool and ripped the Gilbert boy's head off. It didn't help but that Bonnie smiled shyly, whispering something sweet in her boyfriend's ear.

"Hey," Elena said, popping into his line of vision.

Damon snapped his attention to her, his girlfriend, and he smiled.

"Hey."

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You're acting kind of weird."

"I'm fine," he said.

"Yeah? Because you keep spacing out. And that hug with Bonnie was...unexpected."

He waved his hand as if it was nothing because he didn't trust himself to say anything.

"So, you wanna dance?" she asked, with one of those big smiles that used to melt his heart.

"Sure."

He knocked back the rest of his drink and allowed her to lead him to the dance floor. The DJ was playing something fast but Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and they moved slowly, totally disregarding the rhythm of the song. Damon stared into her dark brown eyes and told himself that she was what he wanted. Elena. ELENA. It was always about Elena. Definitely not about her really hot, fiery, witchy best friend.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," she said lowly as she played with the back of his neck. "I swear, I thought I was going crazy. I was seeing you in places where you weren't because I wanted you back so badly."

"Turning all Bella Swan on me, huh?" he teased.

"It's funny now because you're home but it was just sad while you were gone. I know everyone was getting tired of my crap. I think at one point even Stefan wanted to kill me."

Damon offered a sympathetic laugh.

"So what else has been going on while I was gone?" he asked. "Stefan and Caroline?"

"They've been circling each other for a while. I think she was just scared to say something to me. But it really wouldn't have been fair for me to object, so I told them it was cool."

"Is it?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

Elena sighed and shrugged. "Yeah. I think it is. Especially now that I have you. Nothing else matters."

She pressed her lips to his and they engaged in a sweet kiss. It wasn't until she slid her tongue into his mouth that something felt wrong. She didn't taste right. It wasn't like she tasted bad or had bad breath or something, but hers wasn't the taste he wanted in his mouth. When she pulled away, she smiled and he kissed her forehead. She rested her head on his chest and they danced for a while. Damon tried to focus just on the woman in his arms, but then Bonnie was on the dance floor with Jeremy. Bonnie stood in front of her boyfriend, winding her hips suggestively while he held on for dear life. She giggled as he struggled to keep up with her movements but she didn't stop.

She must have felt Damon burning a hole through her head because she looked up and their eyes met. She didn't stop moving but she did slow down just a touch. She kept looking at him as she bit her lip and circled her lips like she was putting Jeremy's body in a trance. Damon was sure that she didn't mean to look so sexy but damn it, she did. He wasn't sure whether to be jealous of Jeremy or happy that her attention was on him. He wanted nothing more than to rip her away from the kid's arms and beg her to gyrate her small body on him instead.

_Come put it on me_, he thought.

Bonnie suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes at Damon. He mirrored her stance, silently asking her what was wrong. Before she could respond, Elena's head lifted and she smiled dreamily.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"Uh...sorry. I thought I heard something."

"Well keep going. I'm enjoying this."

She resumed her swaying and Damon joined her, although his eyes flitted back to Bonnie, who seemed to have forgotten their little exchange. She was too busy being sexy on that idiot, Jeremy. The kid was holding onto her hips and trying to follow her movements and doing a terrible job. Damon glared at them for several straight songs. All he could think about was how much better a partner he would be for Bonnie. He would have been able to keep up with her and maybe even show her a thing or two.

With that in mind, he spun Elena around and she yelped. He secured her backside against him and leaned down to her ear to whisper, "show me what you got." She laughed like a school girl and proceeded to dance on him. She wasn't as good as Bonnie but she did an admirable job. She was able to match the pulse of the song and she even swung her hair around a few times, which made him smile. He was actually enjoying her little attempt at seduction when he felt Bonnie's eyes on him. He looked at her and found her frowning and he winked.

_You're not the only one who can get freaky on the dance floor_, he thought.

And again, Bonnie halted her movements and looked at him strangely. He watched her pull out her phone and type something, then he felt a buzz in his pocket. He managed to keep his dancing going while he extracted the phone and he saw the message from Bonnie.

_come see me tonight_

That shouldn't have excited him as much as it did, but he masked it with a look of indifference and a subtle nod. Of course, he couldn't get her off his mind for the rest of the night and he anxiously checked his watch until the party eventually started to die down. Bonnie and Jeremy left first, and Damon waited a respectable time before leaving with Elena. When they got back to the house, Elena tried to finish what they started in the club but he was too distracted with thoughts of Bonnie. He managed to convince her that he needed to hunt, but he ended up at Bonnie's house instead. He climbed up the tree and spotted her on her bed, a grimoire spread over her legs. She looked keenly focused on something, and her head snapped up when he tapped on the window.

He smirked at the look of irritation on her face as she slid the glass up.

"You know, they invented doors so creepy old men like you don't have to sit outside of windows like perverts."

"And hello to you, too," he said sarcastically.

"Get in here before someone sees you and calls the cops."

He slithered inside and took up residence on the edge of her bed.

"Little Gilbert let you out of his sight for the evening?" he asked.

"Yes. I told him I had a headache."

"And do you?"

He arched an eyebrow and gave her a sleazy smile.

"I feel one coming on," she said dryly.

"If I knew you were just going to insult me all night, I'm not sure I would have accepted your invitation."

She sighed. "I didn't call you over to insult you. Not exclusively, anyway."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I thought you should know that I can hear your thoughts."

His eyes bugged out. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Tonight at the party, a couple of times when were dancing with Jeremy and Elena, you thought things and I heard them."

Damon replayed those moments in his head. "Is that why you were looking at me weird?"

"Yes. Among other reasons."

He noticed that she looked down and there was a little blush in her brown cheeks. He recalled thinking something about wanting her to put it on him and he grinned.

"Aw, don't tell me you're getting shy because I had an impure thought about my judgey little witch."

She pushed his shoulder and said, "I'm not getting shy. And I'm not your witch."

_The hell you aren't._

"Stop doing that!" she said. "I don't want to hear inside your nasty head."

He reached out and took her wrist and pulled her until she was standing in between his open legs.

"You think I can hear your thoughts, too?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, let's try. Think something. And make it sexy."

He wiggled his eyebrows and she scoffed, but then she looked directly into his eyes and he could tell that she was concentrating on projecting her thoughts.

_Can you hear me?_

"Oh, come on, you can do better than that!" he said.

"So you did hear it?" she asked.

"Loud and clear."

She looked surprised but he only smiled.

"This will be fun, Bon-Bon. We can have our own silent language. We'll be besties!" He squealed and waved his hands like a girl and she laughed in spite of herself.

"Shut up."

"You think Caroline will be mad when she realizes I've replaced her as your BFF?"

"Not gonna happen."

She looked at him with those beautiful green eyes and he started feeling that pull again. That attraction. That desire and hunger for her. He could feel the black veins swirling around his eyes and his fangs beginning to descend. He looked away, but Bonnie's hands gently cupped his face and she made him look at her.

"Are you...hungry?" she asked softly.

_If by hungry you mean horny as hell, yes._

Her cheeks reddened again.

_I'm sure Elena can take care of that for you._

_Yeah, I'm sure she could._

He didn't add the part about maybe he wanted someone else to take care of it for him but it was implied by his tone and the way he was looking at her. Like he was hungry and she was dessert. Bonnie did the smartest thing she could do and stepped away from him. She cleared her throat and pointed to the window.

"So I guess I'll see you later?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay."

He didn't move from his spot on the bed and she didn't stop looking at him. He finally stood up and purposely brushed past her. He slid out of the window and didn't look back. He ran all the way home, intent on taking his raging hormones out on a very willing Elena. Only when he opened his bedroom door, she was asleep on his bed. He leaned against the door frame and watched her for a while, thinking about all the underhanded and deceitful things he'd done to finally win her love. He didn't know what had changed during his time with Bonnie, but something obviously had. Because when he looked at Elena, he no longer felt that burning need for her. He loved her, sure, but it was different. He didn't long for her.

He longed for Bonnie.

And that thought scared the shit out of him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys. A few people have asked for my tumblr information. I don't post a lot or reblog very much, but I am on there often. If you want to chat about the story or Vampire Diaries (or Scandal, my other fave), my name is j-mo115. Thanks for all the love! **

Chapter 17

It happened again: another vivid, high-definition dream starring Damon Salvatore. For the past several nights, Bonnie had dreamt of him. Sometimes the dreams were sexy and explicit, other times they were sweet and cute, and still others were so loving that she awoke with an ache in her heart and a thrum between her legs for him. She didn't know how to explain the dreams, and she was sure that she didn't want to know. She also didn't want to see him and tip him off that he had been featured in her head every night and morning. So she avoided him like the plague.

Unfortunately, she was being forced to see him on a chilly November day. It was Stefan's birthday and the whole gang was getting together at an Italian restaurant to celebrate. Bonnie knew she would see Damon and she was more nervous than she should have been, mostly because she was sure she would broadcast her thoughts directly into his brain and he would tease her to death about it. She was also a little nervous that he wouldn't tease her at all. Instead, he would stare at her with those ridiculous eyes and make her melt into his arms like she almost had when he was in her room the last time.

Bonnie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was having such thoughts about Damon, a guy she had tried to kill and who had tried to kill her. A guy she that she swore would be her lifelong enemy. Sure, he was sexy but she had never thought of him that way. Not until now. Not until the return from the Other Side.

Rather than delve any further into that train of thought, she combed her hair and allowed her bangs to fall over her face. She did a little touch-up of her eyeliner and smoothed her hands over her red dress. She almost stepped out of the bathroom when she looked at her reflection, but she thought back to when Damon had brushed hair off of her forehead and told her that he liked it better when he could see her face. He'd quickly covered it up with a snarky comment, but the genuineness in his voice let her know that he was being serious the first time.

So she gently combed the tufts of hair away from her eyes.

Before she could re-examine the fact that she was doing something for Damon's sake, she shook her head and exited the bathroom. Once she was in her bedroom, she headed straight for her jewelry box in search of some accessories. She found some dangly earrings with a sprig of red in them and she started to put them on when the plastic bag from the hospital caught her eye. The nurse had bagged up all the belongings she had when they found her, and Bonnie had tossed the bag on her dresser without a second look. She knew there was some jewelry in there, though, so she opened the large container and looked inside.

She pulled out a fluffy white bathrobe and smirked to herself. She had no idea why she had been wearing that, but it was comfortable and smelled nice so she tossed it onto her bed to be washed. She found a bunch of hair rollers and furrowed her eyebrows, calculating that she must have been going somewhere special if her hair was all done up. She shrugged and moved onto the sparkling necklace at the bottom of the bag. She slowly pulled it out and examined it closely. It was beautiful, but not something she had ever seen before. She wondered where she got it. If it had matched her outfit, she would have put it on. Instead, she gently laid it across her dresser to be worn another day.

Bonnie almost discarded the bag after that, but she noticed one more item inside. Her green eyes widened when she extracted a diamond ring. it looked expensive with a princess-cut diamond in the center and several smaller round diamonds surrounding it. She was no expert on rings, but it certainly looked like an engagement ring.

So why on Earth had she been wearing it?

"Bon," Jeremy called from the other side of the door. He knocked and Bonnie scrambled to hide the ring somewhere. She didn't know why she felt she needed to keep it a secret, but it just wasn't something she wanted to be questioned about, especially when she had no answers.

"Yeah, hold on," she said and she placed the ring in the top drawer of her dresser. She buried it underneath some pairs of panties and then straightened herself up before opening the door.

"Hi," she said with a bright smile.

"Hey, whoa, you look amazing!" Jeremy said with that boyish smile that she had grown to love.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

He shrugged and said, "just trying to keep up with you. Shall we?" He offered his arm and she took it.

"Let's."

They walked out to the car and Jeremy held the door open for her. He jogged to his side and cranked up the heat before they drove in the direction of the restaurant.

"So, I'm sure you're probably tired of everyone asking you this, but how do you feel?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm fine," she said, making sure to throw in a smile. "Getting used to everything again, i guess."

"Still no memories, huh?"

"Nope, not yet."

"Eh, it's probably for the best. Being stuck anywhere with Damon for six months probably sucks ass."

Bonnie forced a laugh, even though a lick of anger flamed through her at his comment. She immediately recognized the sensation as ridiculous, considering that she had been the President and Founding Member of the Damon Salvatore Hate Club.

She steered the conversation away from Damon and they stayed on safer subjects, like school. Bonnie had decided to re-enroll in college for the spring semester, which left her a few weeks to get back into the swing of things and try to get her head on straight. Talking with Jeremy was nice and easy and made her feel normal again. He was safe, and that was why she liked him.

When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already there. Bonnie greeted all her friends with smiles and hugs, purposely avoiding any eye contact with Damon. He became unavoidable, though, when he stood up and made his way over to one of the free seats to pull it out for her. To say that he was gorgeous would have been an understatement. Nobody wore an Armani suit like he did and his was tailored to the final stitch. His midnight hair was a little longer than usual, which caused the ends to curl up just a bit in a way that made him innocent, something that he definitely was not. He had a bit of stubble along his chin and jaw which totally negated that innocence. And to top it all off, he wore a red shirt underneath his suit that he'd left open to show off some of his chest.

_Wow_, Bonnie thought.

He smirked and she suddenly remembered that he could hear her thoughts.

_Wow is right, he responded. You look stunning._

He wordlessly took her hand and kissed the back of it, and then helped her into her seat.

"I must have missed the red memo," Elena joked.

Damon took his seat directly across from Bonnie and raised an eyebrow. "Great minds..." he said. And then he winked.

And Bonnie knew she was fucked.

Having to look at his sinfully sexy body and face all night was hard enough, but having him stare at her in return and project his less-than-admirable thoughts into her head was going to drive her insane. Throughout dinner, she desperately tried to ignore him, a feat he made impossible by constantly looking at and talking to her. She tried to get him to take a hint by snuggling up to Jeremy. He'd frown but then retaliate by putting his arm around Elena or kissing the top of her forehead.

Bonnie couldn't even begin to explain the stab of jealousy she felt every time Damon touched his girlfriend. Her best friend.

All night, he tried to engage her in mental conversation, but she refused. She wasn't going to do whatever they were doing right in front of Elena, or Jeremy. When dinner ended, she really just wanted to go home and barricade herself away from him, but Caroline insisted that everyone return to the boarding house and have some drinks. Bonnie allowed herself to be persuaded to participate but she gave herself a mental limit of an hour. Once an hour hit, she was going to complain of a headache and her friends would feel so sorry for her that they would gladly release her from her partying obligations.

Almost as soon as they arrived, though, Damon started up with the mind tricks again and Bonnie excused herself to the kitchen while the other stayed in the living room. She just needed a minute to get her thoughts straight. Of course, he didn't allow that.

"We need to talk," he announced as he burst through the kitchen.

"Shh!" Bonnie said. She slapped his arm to be quiet, then pointed to her ear and outside to signify that the other vampires would be able to hear. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

_Fine, we'll talk this way_, he said.

_What do you want?_

_How long are you going to pretend like there's nothing going on between us?_

_I don't know what you're talking about._

He scoffed.

_Oh really? So what were all those looks that you were giving me at dinner? And what about when you were obviously mind-blown upon seeing me?_

That time, it was Bonnie's turn to roll her eyes.

_Okay, you caught me. I was staring at you. You're not exactly ugly. So sue me._

_Oh please! Those weren't the looks of a girl who thinks a guy is hot. Those were the looks of a girl who thinks a guy is hot and she wants to screw his brains out._

_This is stupid. I'm out._

She tried to leave but he slid into her way and his face became serious.

_Something happened between us_, he thought. _You know it, I know it, and it's time for you to admit it._

_I know no such thing._

_Is that so?_ He quirked an eyebrow and smirked. _So you haven't been dreaming of me every night?_

Bonnie's face grew hot.

_You haven't been thinking about sexing me up constantly?_ he asked.

_They're just dreams, Damon. They don't mean anything. I'm probably just thinking that stuff about you because i'm trying to over-compensate for my memory loss._

_They're just dreams_, he thought in his dry tone. _Are you sure about that? You sure they're not memories?_

The thought had fleetingly crossed Bonnie's mind but she never gave it a chance to become anything more than a thought. She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to believe that she and Damon did any of the things in her dreams. They didn't talk or laugh or make love or hold each other or profess their love. There was no way.

_Come on, Bonnie_, he thought. _You're a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. I know I'm not the only one that feels this pull between us. You're remembering things between us and projecting them to my brain and I know those aren't just dreams. We were together on the Other Side. Admit it._

_I can't admit something I don't know._

_Do you always have to be so fucking stubborn? All the evidence is looking you in the face and you're choosing to ignore it!_

_What would you have me do? she screamed in their silent communication. Whatever happened or didn't happen between us was in a different realm and it wasn't real! We're here now, you're with Elena, I'm with Jeremy and that's what's real._

Damon tightened his jaw and they stared at each other, neither speaking or thinking a word.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both of them snapped their heads to a confused-looking Caroline. Damon gave her a tight smile and shook his head.

"Not at all," he said, "just a friendly conversation."

"But...neither of you were talking."

Damon blinked a few times but didn't respond. Bonnie took the opportunity to move past him.

"I'm sorry to ditch the party, Care, but I'm tired and I need some sleep. I'll see you later, okay?"

She didn't give her friend a chance to respond before she hurried out of the kitchen and into the living room where everyone else was. She gave them the same excuse as to why she needed to leave and Jeremy was more than happy to give her a ride home. Bonnie could tell that he wanted to stay with her but she asked him for a rain check. When she was safely inside her house, alone, she slid against the door and closed her eyes. She didn't know when her life had turned into such a complete mess, but if she had to guess, she'd say it was the exact day that the Salvatore brothers rolled into town.

She had only been sitting there for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door. She groaned and just knew it was Damon. She swung it open, ready to fight with him, only to find Caroline standing there.

"Hi, sorry, I know you said you're tired but I just had to ask you something." Bonnie leaned against the door and waited for the question that she already knew was coming. "If I ask you what's going on between you and Damon, will you tell me the truth?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What's going on between you and Damon?"

Bonnie sighed and offered her a pathetic smile. "I don't know, Caroline."

She moved aside so Caroline could come in, and they sat together on the couch. Caroline didn't push or even talk, she just waited for Bonnie to gather her thoughts and spill.

"I think," Bonnie started, "and when I say 'think,' I mean I'm like 99% sure, that when Damon and I were on the Other Side, we were..._involved_."

"Okay," Caroline said slowly.

"Ever since we got back, I've been having these thoughts about him and I guess I've been feeling some kind of way and he's feeling that same kind of way and it's a big shit show."

"And when you say 'some kind of way,' you mean you like him," she said. It wasn't a question, either.

"I don't know," Bonnie groaned. "Yes? I don't know! I get jealous when I see him with Elena. I miss him when he's not around. I think about him in ways that are completely inappropriate. So yes, I guess I like him?"

"But you can't remember what happened?"

"Technically, no. But I keep dreaming about him and if I'm honest with myself, I know they're not just dreams. They're memories."

"And what are you guys doing in these memories?"

Bonnie felt her face flush and she shook her head. "Things that I wouldn't do with anyone but a boyfriend."

Caroline's eyes raised a little but she didn't say anything.

"I could probably make myself remember," Bonnie continued. "I have my powers again and I could do a spell. But I don't want to."

"Why not?"

Bonnie looked at her friend and shrugged. "Because I'm scared of what I'll remember. I'm scared that I'll confirm that Damon and I were together and everything will be even more messed up than it already is."

"I see." Caroline turned to her best friend and took her hands. "Bon, you've been through a lot and whatever you want to do is up to you. But if the way you and and Damon were looking at each other all night is any indication, whatever you did on the Other side meant something. To both of you. And you owe it to yourself and him to find out what happened and then make an informed decision about where to go from there."

"I know you're right, Care, but there are other people to consider, too. Elena and Jeremy..."

"...are selfish. There, I said it. They're selfish. If you want to be with Damon, Elena can't be upset because she's bounced back and forth between two brothers and that's just wrong. Jeremy hasn't been the best boyfriend to you and the fact is that you and Damon were dead for six months and probably thought you were never coming back. What you did under those circumstances is not betrayal to anybody. So don't start that Bennett guilt that you're so famous for. If he makes you happy, then you should go for it. You deserve to be happy, Bon."

Bonnie looked into her friend's caring eyes and she knew she was right about everything. She did deserve to be happy and she couldn't put her life on hold for other people who didn't have the best track record of taking her feelings into consideration.

"Thanks, Care," she said with a genuine smile. "You're right."

"So you'll get your memories back?" she asked with a dimpled smile.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Good." Caroline stood and pulled Bonnie into a hug. "I want all the dirty details, too."

Bonnie laughed and promised that she would share after the dust settled. She saw Caroline out and when she was alone again, she felt lighter and freer than before. Before she could change her mind, she gathered the things she'd need for a spell. She almost started, but then she stopped. Damon deserved to remember, too, so despite the way they had left things, she pulled out her phone and texted him.

I'm going to do a spell to remember what happened. Do you want to come over?

Twenty seconds later, he knocked. Her heart fluttered and when she opened the door, she saw him standing there, looking as handsome as he had earlier in the night.

"Hey," she said.

"What brought this on?" he asked with a skeptical eyebrow.

"Caroline, actually."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Hm. I didn't know she was Team Bamon." Bonnie frowned. "Bonnie + Damon? Come on, Bennett, keep up."

"You're going to make me regret this, aren't you?"

"Probably."

Bonnie rolled her eyes but took his hand and brought him inside. She instructed him to sit on the floor, cross-legged, and she did the same right across from him. She took both of his hands in hers and closed her eyes. She concentrated all her magic and power on the connection between them and she chanted the Latin words that would bring back everything she had forgotten about the last six months. A slight wind picked up in the room and the louder she chanted, the harder it blew. A strong current ran from her hands to his, but she held on until the wind stopped and everything was calm.

Neither of them moved or spoke as the memories infiltrated their minds. When Bonnie opened her eyes, Damon was staring at her in a way she had never seen before, not even when he spoke of Katherine or looked at Elena. He remembered everything. She remembered everything.

Now what in the world were they going to do about it?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Silence hung over them like a cloud. Thirty minutes after Bonnie had completed the memory spell, neither of them had said a word. Damon sat stone-still and watched Bonnie in what he could only describe as a state of shock. He knew that she was reliving the same memories he was: waking up together, taking a romantic trip, sex...lots of sex...laughs, pillow talk, love. To remember all of it at once was incredibly intense and confusing and despite it all, he just wanted to pull her into his arms and make it okay.

He knew that wasn't going to happen when Bonnie finally came out of her stupor and started shaking her head. She covered her face, he guessed from embarrassment, and then she got up and started to walk away. He scrambled behind her and jumped in her way right before she could go up the stairs.

"Hold on there, where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to think, Damon," she said, refusing to look at him. "This is all too much for me right now."

"I know it's a lot but we should talk." He lowered his face to hers but she kept looking away. He gently encased her face in his hands and made her look at him. She closed her eyes and he smirked. "Really? Open your eyes and talk to me."

"I can't. I'm humiliated."

"What? Why?"

"Because!"

He wouldn't let her go until she opened her eyes and when she finally did, he smiled softly. It did nothing to help her worries.

"Because why?" he asked again.

"We did so much, Damon," she said barely above a whisper. "Stuff I can't believe I did with you."

"So we had sex. We both kinda figured that."

"Yeah, but we did more than that. We dated and hugged and laughed and...had feelings for each other."

He could tell that she couldn't bring herself to say that they were in love.

"We died, Bonnie. And we had no reason to think we would ever come back. Were we just supposed to sit there and pine for Elena and Jeremy until we died for real? We didn't do anything wrong."

"Even if that's true, that necklace my mom gave me made it so we would still have these feelings for each other."

"Is that such a horrible thing?" he asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Bonnie's green eyes narrowed like he had asked her the most ridiculous question in the world.

"Yes, it's a bad thing," she said in a serious tone. "We can't feel this way about each other. You're in love with Elena and you have been in some form or fashion for 150 years. I can't compete with that, and I don't want to. What we did and had on the Other Side was fine there but it wasn't real."

Her words sank in like cinder blocks on his soul and he removed his hands from her face.

"So, what happens on the Other Side, stays on the Other Side, right?" he asked.

She sighed and he walked past her, only to have her pull him back to her. She stared into his eyes, like she was hoping to make him understand her point of view by the sheer power of her gaze.

"I'm not saying that," she said. "I am saying that the circumstances are so different that our feelings there don't translate to here. There was no competition for Elena there. There was no complicated relationship with Jeremy there. When we woke up, we were already engaged and everything was laid out for us and all we had to do was fall for each other and that's just what we did."

"That doesn't make it any less real," he said through gritted teeth.

"But it does, Damon. I know deep down that you know that. It's hard to see right now because we're being inundated with all these thoughts and emotions and it would be so easy to just jump into bed together right now and pick up where we left off, but we can't do that."

"So what, we just pretend like nothing happened?"

"Are you suggesting something different?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

And it was in that moment that Damon realized that he had no idea how he wanted to handle this situation with Bonnie. Since waking up in Mystic Falls, all he knew was that he wanted her. He wanted to be around her and tease her and be the center of her attention. He had never felt that way about Bonnie before, and he partially chalked it up to transitioning again. He was already an intense guy and when he was in transition, everything was amplified even more.

As he stood in front of Bonnie's questioning eyes, though, he knew that he didn't have a good answer for her. As weird as things had been with Elena, he still loved her. How could he not? After damn near losing his brother for her and everything he had been through to finally win her affections, he couldn't honestly say that he could just let her go. But he wanted Bonnie, too. Desperately. He knew he could blame it on the necklace and say that their feelings were fabricated, but it felt too genuine to simply brush aside.

He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. He tried to push all the conflicting thoughts out of his head but they all collided against his skull and the only thing he could do was laugh. He laughed loudly and crazily until tears were pouring out of his eyes. Once he managed to pull himself together, he saw Bonnie looking at him like he had a third head.

"Are you...okay?" she asked.

"I'm great, Judgey. Just peachy."

"Then what was that about?"

"Oh, you know, just a recognition of the fact that I am THE unluckiest guy in the history of the planet."

"What do you mean?" she asked tentatively, like she was scared to hear the answer.

"For all my dashing good looks and rock hard abs, I cannot catch a break with women. I loved Katherine with all my heart, searched high and low for her for a century and a half, only to find out that not only did she not give the slightest shit about where I was, she never even loved me. Then I fell in love with Elena, but she didn't love me. Now that she does, I want you and well, you know how the rest of the story goes."

Bonnie sighed and had the decency to look guilty. She touched his arm and shook her head.

"It's not that I don't want you," she started. "I do. But I shouldn't and I can't because my best friend is in love with you. On top of that, we can't base a relationship off stuff that happened when we were dead. That's crazy. It's like we were living in a dream and now we're awake and back to reality. We don't even know anything substantive about each other!" she said with a slight laugh that he didn't return.

"We know plenty about each other," he countered.

"Oh yeah, like what? I know that you like the color black, you love scotch, whiskey and other assorted old man brown liquors, and that you have obsessive tendencies bordering on insanity. That's not the basis for a relationship. It's not even the basis for a friendship."

Damon hoped that he didn't let on how much her words hurt him, so he put on his signature smirk and shrugged.

"You're right. You're always right, Judgey. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways. Good night."

He walked away from her and headed out the door. He was on the porch before before she was in front of him again. He tried to get past her but she kept standing in his way.

"Damon, come on, look at me," she begged.

"What?" he asked icily, finally meeting her eyes.

"I'm not saying that we have to pretend like it didn't happen. We obviously can't do that. But can we just...put it away in our memories and move on?"

"Sure, little witch, whatever you want."

He tried to walk away again but she grabbed both of his arms.

"I want to be friends," she said. "Or at least try. Can we start there? We can get to know each other outside of saving Elena and fighting the supernatural and if something is still there between us, then we'll revisit this conversation."

He wanted to tell her to go to hell. He wanted to fight with her and hurt her feelings like she had unintentionally done to him. But her eyes were so hopeful that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Fine. We can be friends."

She smiled that wide toothy grin that he had always secretly loved.

"Good. I'm happy."  
He nodded and she finally moved out of his way. He almost left, but then he turned to her and offered one parting shot.

"By the way, I know that when you're nervous, you bite the insides of your cheeks. When you're sad, you paint your toenails purple. And when you're happy, you sing along to really shitty pop music in your tree-hugging car and you can actually carry a tune."

Bonnie's mouth dropped in complete surprise and Damon offered a small smile.

"Still sure I don't know you?"

He left before she could respond and he super-sped all the way home. He slammed the door and poured a big glass of scotch and tossed it down his throat like it was water. He knew that he really should have been used to rejection after a whole lifetime of it, but somehow it still hurt. It didn't help matters that he didn't want to want Bonnie. It only made it that much more painful.

He had a few more glasses of alcohol before deciding to try not to feel so sorry for himself. He trudged up the steps and threw his bedroom door open. He stopped in his tracks when he found a very naked Elena curled seductively on his bed. Her thick luscious hair was curled just the way he liked it and she had her hands strategically placed so that he could only see hints of all her fun parts.

"Hey," she said in a purposely low voice. "I was wondering when you were coming back."

"Uh...hey."

"You like what you see?" she asked with a big smile.

Of course he did. Every man on Earth and probably a significant number of women would like what he was seeing. He wanted to ravish her and take out all his frustrations on her, but he couldn't help but think of Bonnie. Somehow, he felt like he was cheating on her, even when she'd made it perfectly clear that they were not and would not be together.

"Of course," he said, throwing in a cocky smile. "You look delectable."

She laughed girlishly. "Then come have a taste and see how yummy I am."

He swallowed hard. He stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him. The closer he got to Elena, the more her hands revealed until there was nothing covered. He got onto the bed, knees first, and lowered himself onto her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. She initiated the kissing and he went with it for a while. She extracted herself and kissed down his neck and ripped his jacket and shirt off. She moaned and whimpered and as sexy as she sounded, every time Damon closed his eyes, all he saw was Bonnie.

He saw her spread out on the bed for him. He saw her arching her back up for him to go deeper. He saw her climaxing and holding him tight and he suddenly felt like he was cheating on Elena. He jumped off the bed and she groaned loudly.

"Damon, what the hell?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...tired."

"Tired?" she yelled. "What is going on with you?"

She got off the bed and covered herself up with a blanket. She stomped towards him until she was practically nose to nose with him.

"Nothing's going on," he said calmly.

"Don't lie to me. I know you better than that. I understood when you first got back that you needed time to adjust but I gave you space and time and now I want answers. You can't keep pushing me away like this."

It was amazing how she went from fierce to whiny in a matter of seconds.

"I'm not pushing you away," he said gently.

"Yes, you are!" Tears formed in her eyes. "You haven't slept with me since you got back. You barely kiss me and now I'm basically begging you for sex and you still won't give it to me. Please, tell me what's wrong. What did I do?"

Damon rubbed her bare arms and realized that what he once found cute and adorable about Elena had somehow become annoying. The damsel in distress bit used to turn him on, but not anymore.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he assured her.

"Then tell me what it is."

He looked into her watery brown eyes and thought about lying, but he couldn't. He had never been good at lying to Elena and with all those fresh memories of his time with Bonnie, he was feeling disgustingly human. He knew he had to tell her the truth, at least part of it.

"I have my memories back," he told her in that same gentle tone. "Of my time on the Other Side."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"And the truth is..." He paused and gathered the courage to break her heart. "I met someone."

Elena's face fell into a look of sheer devastation.

"What?" she whispered.

"When we were gone, it wasn't like we were just stumbling around a forest all day every day. We were in a place just like Mystic Falls, with buildings and things and people. And...I met someone."

The tears spilled down her cheeks and Damon felt like someone had just stabbed him in the chest. He wiped away her tears and wished he could melt into the floor when she looked at him like he had torn her heart out and ripped it to shreds.

"What do you mean, you met someone, Damon?" Her voice was thick with hurt. "Who? Who did you meet?"

"It doesn't matter. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you but I'm obviously hurting you anyway. And that's why. I'm so sorry, Elena."

She ripped her arms away from him and cried hard, all while staring at him.

"Did you love her?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Do you still?"

Damon looked down and licked his lips. "I don't know," he admitted.

A harsh sob came from her throat and she tightened the blanket around her body.

"Do you still love me?"

"Yes, I do."

She shook her head. "But not like before."

He didn't have to confirm it for her to know it was true and she went to his drawers and yanked one open. She continued to cry even as she pulled clothes out and put them on. She also started to pack but he closed her suitcase.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

"You don't have to leave, okay?"

"Yes, I do!" she screamed. "You love another woman. Some woman you were running around with for the last six months while I was here, losing my mind over you and trying so hard to get you back!"

Damon took her arms again and made her look at him.

"I. Still. Love. You," he said, punctuating with each word. "I do. And I want things to be good again. I want to get over her. I just need time, okay? Can you give me that?"

Elena looked at him and then she laughed pathetically.

"Sure. You can have time. You can have all the time you want because at the end of the day, none of it matters."

"Don't say that."

"I know you, Damon. For all your bravado and innuendo, you're a one-woman man. And if your heart is with her, then it can't be with me."

She took the suitcase back from him and he stood, motionless, as she packed her things and left without another word. He felt guilty about the whole exchange, and he felt guilty for not feeling more guilty. It was wrong, the whole situation was messed up and he didn't even know what he could have done differently. He sat on the bed, staring straight ahead, and trying not to think. He heard when Stefan softly knocked on the open door but he didn't look at him.

"Damon?" his brother asked quietly. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to eavesdrop but it was kind of hard not to hear..."

Damon turned his head just slightly and Stefan offered a sympathetic smile.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah," Damon said. "Can you make me fall out of love with Bonnie Bennett?"

**To quote the illustrious Erykah Badu, "keep in mind that I'm an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit." To quote mothers all around the world, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything. I post this story for fun, not to defend my work to assholes and Internet thugs. To everyone who has reviewed (and said something positive and/or helpful), thank you. To everyone who has favorited, followed, and been encouraging, thank you. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Stefan knew that he should have been surprised by Damon's declaration of love for Bonnie, but truthfully, he wasn't. Although Damon and Bonnie liked to pretend that they hated each other, Stefan had always noticed something between them. A spark, maybe. At one point, he had chalked it up to wishful thinking on his part, hopeful that his brother would find someone other than Elena to set his baby blues on. But even as Stefan's relationship with Elena ended, he could see something between Damon and Bonnie.

Damon's constant need to irritate and tease Bonnie reminded Stefan of a schoolyard boy who had a crush on a girl and acted on it by pulling her pigtails. He always said that he didn't care about her, but his actions showed otherwise. There was a softness in his eyes when he looked at her or spoke about her that let Stefan know that Damon respected Bonnie. He respected her opinion and her power and despite his protests otherwise, he liked her. And not just because Elena wanted him to.

Stefan noticed that even though Bonnie started with a genuine and justified hate for Damon, her opinion of him began to change. She sparred with him like a sibling, held him to her high standards and never let him use charm or excuses to get his way with her. When it came time to get the job done, she trusted Damon. And Stefan may have caught her staring at him a time or two.

He had all of that in mind when he finally answered his brother with, "now why would you want to do that?"

Damon frowned. "Did you hear what I said? I'm in love with Bonnie."

"I heard you," Stefan said casually as he leaned against the door frame.

"Aren't you surprised?"

"Should I be?"

Damon looked even more confused than before. "Yeah. It's Bonnie."

"Yeah, I got that. I'm just not surprised. It was bound to happen some time or another. I guess it took you dying and being stuck together to see what I saw all along."

"Oh God," Damon groaned, "not another Stefan Salvatore I-told-you-so moment."

"Well, technically, I never told you that I thought Bonnie was perfect for you but I did think it."

He pushed himself off the door frame and sat next to Damon on the edge of the bed.

"So, what's this about not wanting to love her anymore?" he asked.

Damon sighed. "Long story short, we were happy on the Other Side. I want to continue that happy on this side, but she says no because she's not sure our feelings are real and she doesn't want to hurt Elena."

Stefan cracked a smile. Leave it to Damon to recap six months of time in two sentences.

"I see," he said. "Then you should just show her your feelings are real."

"What if they're not?" he asked, in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"Do you think you would have turned away a naked Elena if they weren't?"

This time, Damon cracked the smile. "Good point."

Stefan clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder. "My suggestion? Don't seduce her. We all know you're good at that but it won't impress Bonnie. Be her friend. Show her you're sincere. Court her. Woo her."

"Woo her?" Damon asked with a short laugh. "This isn't the 1860's, brother."

"No, but she wants to know that what you have is worth potentially losing her best friend over."

Stefan could tell that his statement settled into Damon's heart by the way his lips formed a tight line. He patted his shoulder again and said, "you've always gone after what you want. Why should Bonnie be any different?"

"I can't believe you're encouraging this. Me, evil bad Damon going after pure, good-hearted Bonnie."

"She's good for you. And you're good for her. And believe it or not, I want to see you happy."

"All right, all right, enough with the mushy stuff. Get out before I vomit."

Stefan grinned, and not just because he was excited to see Damon pursue a healthy relationship for the first time in his life. He grinned because he was happy to have his brother back.

...

Bonnie awoke to the sounds of hard knocking on her front door and the repeated ringing of her door bell. She groaned and tried to bury her head under the pillows, but the knocks and rings kept coming. She grunted and angrily threw the comforter off of her body. She blindly reached for something to cover herself up with and she settled for one of the sweatshirts she had taken from Jeremy. She ran a hand over the tangled hair that she had forgotten to wrap and finger-combed it to the best of her ability. She trudged down the steps and looked through her peephole to find a very distressed-looking Elena and a worried Caroline.

She groaned again.

"Guys, it's 7 in the morning," she said with a scratchy throat after she opened the door. "What the hell is so important right now?"

Elena's brown eyes were filled with tears and as soon as she opened her mouth, the waterworks started.

"Damon broke up with me," she cried.

And that woke Bonnie up instantly. She straightened up and her green eyes widened and immediately darted to Caroline.

"What?" was all Bonnie could muster.

"He said he met someone while you guys were on the Other Side," Elena sobbed. "He said he still loves her. Bonnie, I'm heartbroken!"

She threw her tall, slim frame into Bonnie's arms and cried like everyone she knew had just died. Bonnie awkwardly rubbed Elena's back while trying to silently communicate with Caroline, who shook her head and mouthed, "I'm sorry!" Bonnie knew she would have to get the details later, but for the moment, she needed to comfort her friend.

"I'm so sorry, Lena," she said sincerely. "Did he...did he say who she was?"

She hoped her question didn't give her away as much as she feared it did, but Elena's vehement shaking of her head put her at ease. Somewhat.

"N-no," Elena said.

"Okay, you guys come in," Bonnie said.

She helped Elena inside and directed her to the bathroom so she could clean off her face. Once she was in the bathroom with the door closed, Bonnie yanked Caroline into the kitchen and started the blender.

"What the hell?" she asked in a softest whisper she could.

"I tried to call and warn you," Caroline said. "She texted me about it last night and I spent the night at her house listening to her cry and babble about Damon and his 'mystery woman.'"

Bonnie's head began to hurt and she grabbed her temples.

"This is so bad."

"She doesn't know it's you," Caroline offered in a reassuring tone.

"But I know it's me! I can't believe he broke up with her, just like that! I told him that we can't be together right now. Why would he do that?"

Caroline's lips formed a sad smile and she cocked her head to the side. "Because he loves you, Bon."

Before Bonnie could even process the depth of that statement, Elena reappeared, still looking worse for wear. She'd cleaned off her runny mascara but her eyes were puffy and cheeks red.

"What's with the blender?" she asked, through sniffles.

"Oh, uh," Bonnie started, stumbling to come up with a believable lie.

"We were going to make margaritas," Caroline jumped in. "I think we all need to be drunk for this conversation."

"Yes," Bonnie agreed. "Margaritas at 7 AM. It's that kind of day, right?"

"Definitely," Elena said sadly, none the wiser.

Caroline and Bonnie shared another look and Bonnie knew it was going to be an absurdly long day. She hadn't even had her memories back for 24 hours and already her life was a shit storm, all thanks to Damon and his impulsivity. She excused herself to brush her teeth and do something with hair that she was sure had to be sticking up all over the place, and she hurried upstairs. As soon as she closed the door, she reached for her phone, intent on calling Damon and asking him what the hell his problem was. Before she could do that, though, she saw three missed calls from Caroline, probably all to warn her about Elena, and a text from Damon. Bonnie wasn't sure why her fingers shook as she clicked on the message bubble, but she tried to slow her heart rate down as she read the long message from him.

_judgey, i'm sure by the time you read this you will already know that elena and i may or may not have broken up. i didn't actually say those words but she was pretty upset and i can connect the dots. before you call me in a rage, just know that i was trying to be decent for once and not lead her on when i want to be with someone else. i know you need space and time...i will give you whatever space you need. but you know me, i don't give up without a fight and right now, i'm fighting for you. i can already see your scrunched up judgey little face. get over it. _

Bonnie really didn't want to smile or feel her heart flutter over his message, but she couldn't help it. It was so Damon and in his own way, it was very sweet. Her annoyance with him fizzled just as quickly as it began, and she put the phone down and went about her morning routine. When she went back downstairs, it appeared as though Elena had already gone through two margaritas and maybe even a couple of shots. Bonnie bypassed the drinks and headed for the tea.

"So," she started, "what happened?"

"It was so embarrassing, Bon," Elena said in that weak, hurt tone that she had mastered over many years of heartache. "He's been distant ever since you guys got back and so I thought I would do something sexy for him to get him in the mood, you know?"

Bonnie tried to ignore the prick of jealousy in her veins. "Uh huh."

"So I laid out on his bed, totally naked, ready to do whatever I had to do to get my Damon back. When he came home, he acted like he wasn't even interested." She sniffled. "When I called him out on it, he admitted that he has feelings for someone else. Some slut he met on the Other Side."

Bonnie's jaws tensed and her eyes quickly darted to Caroline, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Look, Elena, I know you're upset..."

"Do you know her?" Elena asked suddenly, looking up from her drink. Her eyes bored into Bonnie's with hope that she might get some information on the woman who'd stolen Damon's heart.

"Uh...what?"

"You were with Damon, right? He said it was just like another version of Mystic Falls. Do you know the girl he was with?"

Panic swept over every pore of Bonnie's body and she hoped like hell that the vampires couldn't hear her heart about to explode. She didn't want to lie to her friend, and she had never been a good liar anyway. But she couldn't very well tell her it was her. Elena would have probably jumped over the counter and ripped her throat out. She again looked at Caroline, who was clearly trying to come up with anything to say to help Bonnie out.

"Bon?" Elena asked after a couple of moments of tense silence.

"Yes, I knew her," Bonnie blurted out. Elena's eyes widened, as did Caroline's. "I...I saw them together a few times. I didn't know it had gotten that serious."

"Why would he do that?" Elena cried. "And why didn't you tell me?!"

"You were with Stefan," she responded. "You were happy. Caroline was with Matt and everything was great, Lena. There were no vampires or werewolves or freaky supernatural stuff. We were all best friends again and we did things together without having to look over our shoulders. Damon and I had no reason to think we would ever come back and since you were with Stefan, I guess he thought he needed to move on."

As the words settled into Elena's ears, she calmed down a little bit. Her posture softened and she got that sad look in her eyes again.

"What was she like?" she asked softly.

"She was...good to him. And good for him. And the Other Side version of you liked her a lot. You were friends."

Elena pouted, then her lips trembled, then she cried. Caroline and Bonnie went to her sides and rubbed her back while she sobbed.

"It's just not fair," she said through tears. "That girl is gone and he's not getting her back. Why can't he just get over her?"

"Well, Damon was dead for six months and you didn't get over him, sweetie," Caroline said softly. Elena only cried in response and Caroline finally did what she always did best: make the most of a bad situation. "Look, Elena, I know you're upset and you probably don't want to hear this right now, but this is a good thing."

"How is this good?!"

"Because your relationship with Damon has always been crazy and toxic and it was never going to last. You weren't going to spend eternity with him and now it's time for you to start over. What you had was passionate and exciting while it lasted but it's done now and he's someone else's problem. You should be happy."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes and mouthed, "thanks a lot." Caroline smiled and shrugged.

They spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon trying to talk Elena off a ledge. When she finally seemed stable enough to go home, Bonnie ushered them out and then slid against the back of her closed door and sighed. She hated knowing that she was the source of her friend's pain, but Caroline was right. Elena's relationship with Damon had always been kind of weird and toxic and they brought out the worst in each other, rather than the best.

Bonnie just wanted to crawl into her tub and sink into the hot water for hours, but there was a knock on her door before she could do that. She groaned loudly.

"What is it?" she asked loud enough for the person knocking to hear.

"Bon? It's me," Jeremy called back.

In all the drama of Elena and Damon, somehow Jeremy had completely slipped Bonnie's mind. She softly banged her head against the door and groaned again. She didn't have the energy to deal with him or anybody else, but she felt guilty about blowing him off. So she made herself get up and open the door.

"Jer, hey," she said.

"You okay? You look wiped."

"Yeah, it's been a long day. Elena and Damon broke up and she's really upset about it."

"Wow, that sucks, I guess."

Bonnie cracked a small smile and leaned against the door.

"Look, I know we haven't spent much time together lately and I don't want you to feel like I'm ignoring you, but I'm exhausted and I doubt I'd be good company right now."

"That's okay," he said with the boyish smile. "I just want to be around you, Bonnie. Can we just hang for like thirty minutes? We don't even have to talk."

A wave of guilt blanketed Bonnie. She had always wanted the kind of relationship with a guy that cherished her and she had that with Jeremy, yet in the back of her mind, she wanted to be left alone so she could sort out what was going on with Damon. A part of her wanted to come clean to Jeremy just like Damon had with Elena, but the timing was wrong and she didn't want people to put the pieces together that she was the one Damon had loved. She just wasn't ready for the fallout from that.

"Sure," she said with a small smile. "Come in."

They settled onto the couch in the living room and Bonnie handed the remote to Jeremy. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. She got a strong whiff of his cologne, which she had always loved, but it didn't smell like Damon. It wasn't the arrogantly manly scent that both drove her crazy and made her want more. He didn't feel like Damon. He didn't hold her like Damon.

"I'll be right back," she said and slid off the couch. She went up to her room and sat on the bed as she stared at her phone. She wanted to call Damon but that was too risky with Jeremy in the house. So she opened his message, re-read it and sent a reply.

_I got your text. I'm not avoiding you...it's just been a long day. Caroline and Elena left not too long ago._

She waited anxiously for a minute or two before he responded.

_can i come over?_

She bit her lip. She supposed that she could tell Jeremy that his time was up and let Damon come over, but that felt dishonest and slimy.

_Jeremy's here._

Damon didn't respond and Bonnie's fingers were flying over the cell phone as she tried to explain.

_I'm not rejecting you. I just feel bad pushing him away and he hasn't done anything wrong. You told me you would give me time and space, so don't be mad while I figure things out._

He didn't respond, and Bonnie waited for more than ten minutes. The guilt was coming at her from both sides, guilt for wanting to be with Damon and guilt for not wanting to hurt Jeremy. She knew that Damon was upset and he was dangerous when he was upset. So despite her reservations about telling him how she felt, she was pretty sure it would keep him satisfied for the time being.

_I love you_, she typed.

Her heart thumped and her palms broke into a sweat as she awaited his answer. She felt a little relief when she saw that he was typing back, and when she read his response, she broke into a full grin.

_i love you too. i guess._

It wasn't the most romantic sentiment in the world, but in Damon-speak, it was all she could ask for.


	20. Chapter 20

**Your reviews make me swoon almost as much as that Season 6 poster. **

Chapter 20

Damon had never really been one for the holidays. In his 150 years of extended life as a vampire, he had never had much to celebrate while everyone else was feeling festive. He had no family other than Stefan, and they were usually at each other's throats. While the humans were trick-or-treating, carving turkeys and hanging mistletoe, Damon usually found solace in booze and women. Lots of booze and lots of women.

This year was different, though. With Caroline practically living in the boarding house, Damon had noticed a much more feminine and happy tone to the home. There was an autumn wreath on the front door. He spotted a few pumpkin-scented candles in the hallways. And of course, she was absolutely insisting on Thanksgiving dinner with all of their friends. Stefan, being the eternal pushover, thought it was a great idea.

On one hand, Damon thought the dinner was a terrible idea because it meant he would have to be face-to-face with Elena. He had tried to talk to her on several occasions but she avoided him. She'd only come by twice and that was to remove all her things from his home. He felt badly, of course. After all, she was the woman that he had been chasing for five years. There would always be some space in his heart for her, but he knew now that she would only ever be a friend. If that.

So while he wasn't looking forward to the awkwardness with Elena, Thanksgiving dinner did mean that Bonnie would be there. He felt completely lame at how his lips itched to smile just by thinking of her. They hadn't seen each other in person since the "I love you" text message exchange, but they did talk on the phone a few times and texted each other like giggly teenagers. He would never admit out loud how happy he was when he read those three words on his screen. He would also never admit that he had read it about five hundred times.

The excitement of seeing Bonnie outweighed the dread of seeing Elena, so to Stefan's and Caroline's surprise, he got into the full swing of helping with dinner. Although he didn't technically have to eat, he did know how to cook. It was practically a requirement for an Italian man. So he put on his apron and threw down some down-home macaroni and cheese that he'd learned from a witch about ten years earlier. Caroline had almost everything else catered, and Stefan secured a large amount of blood for their huge vampire contingency.

Guests started to arrive at 5, and Damon realized that Caroline had invited literally everyone who had ever been associated with their group. She made everyone promise that there would be no drama, only fun and happiness, as she'd said in her bubbly voice. Matt, Enzo and Ric arrived within minutes of each other, and Stefan and Damon showed them to the TV room where the football game was on. Tyler showed up a little later, followed by a forlorn-looking Elena. Damon had to admit that she looked good; her makeup was flawless and her hair was in loose curls the way he liked it. Their eyes caught and she mustered up a pathetic smile that made him feel guilty.

"I'm glad you came," he said, as he offered to take her coat. She was stiff and moved away.

"I got it," she said.

She only looked marginally happier when Caroline appeared from the kitchen, looking like Suzy Homemaker and bearing a huge grin.

"Elena!" she shrieked. "Oh my God, there are so many boys here. We really need to get some more girlfriends."

Elena smiled and brought her friend into a big hug, and Damon was happy that she had Caroline. As annoying as the Vampire Barbie could be at times, she kind of held everyone together. He supposed a group like theirs always needed someone like that.

He checked his watch and saw that it was nearing six o'clock and Bonnie still hadn't arrived. He was getting anxious, tapping his feet and pretending to be interested in the football game while all the other guys hooted and hollered. He kept one foot in the long hallway so he could see whenever Bonnie did come, and a wave of anticipation came over him when he caught the big wooden door opening slowly.

He watched with rapt attention as Bonnie stepped inside, calling out for Caroline. Her eyes fell on him, though, and her mouth formed into a slow smile. She came all the way inside and he looked her over. She wore a black sweater and jeans with some black heeled boots. The outfit itself was nothing special but on her, it looked amazing. The eyeliner around her eyes made the natural green color stand out, even from where he was. She raised her hand and did a little wave. He started to do the same but then Caroline and Elena burst through the kitchen and mauled her like they hadn't seen her in weeks.

The girls laughed and talked and Damon saw as Jeremy squeezed by them. He had to fight a scowl when he realized that Bonnie and Gilbert had come together. _Give her time_, he thought. _She loves me._

"Hey, man, what's up?" Jeremy asked as he walked by. It took everything in him not to trip the little bastard.

"The guys are watching football, if you're interested," he said instead.

"Eh." Jeremy shrugged but joined the men anyway.

Damon took a moment to look at him and he wondered what the hell Bonnie ever saw in him. He was a pipsqueak, for one. His voice sounded like a breathy whisper instead of a deep manly tone like it should. His hair was always doing something weird and Damon knew from Bonnie's own mouth that Jeremy was no star in bed. He was fantasizing about all the ways that he could torture the brat when Bonnie came into his line of vision and she smiled.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey to you, too," he said. He leaned against the hallway wall and smirked, only because if he didn't smirk, he might grin like a moron. "I was wondering if you were going to show up."

"Yeah, sorry, Caroline told me to make the green bean casserole and I got a late start."

"Hmm," he said with a little nod.

She cocked her head to the side.

_How are you?_ she asked so that only he could hear.

_Good. Better, now that you're here._

She smiled and he thought he may have noticed a little blush in her brown cheeks.

_Oh yeah?_

_Yeah. If my heart was still capable of beating, it would have stopped when you walked in._

Then, she really did blush. She grinned and had to look down and then she tucked some hair behind her ear...all the signs of being flustered. It made Damon grin. He checked both ways to make sure nobody was looking, then he took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm.

_Ho potuto mangiare fino._

_Please don't speak Italian to me. That's not fair._

_You should know by now that I don't fight fair, Little Bird._

She gently removed her hand from his, but the look in her eyes told him that she didn't want to. She looked like she might push him against the wall and have her filthy way with him, but they were interrupted when Caroline appeared and cleared her throat.

"Uh, Bon?" she asked. "We could use your help in the kitchen."

Bonnie didn't move immediately. She stared at him like she was trying to figure out whether she should go with Caroline or stand there and drown in their sexual tension, but then she turned and went with her friend. Damon craned his neck and watched her disappear, then he licked his lips. He turned around when he felt a hand clasp his shoulder, and Stefan was giving him an amused look.

"Here's a tip, brother," Stefan said lowly. "Unless you _want_ Elena to know that Bonnie is your new squeeze, maybe you should stop drooling over her."

"I'm not drooling," he said, although he did check his mouth just in case.

"You're kind of drooling. It's cute, but I'd rather not have a vampire throw-down today."

Damon pushed Stefan and they walked together to the room where all the other guys were. He absentmindedly watched the game, while his mind was on Bonnie. He had pulled that Italian out of left field but it definitely affected her so he was going to do it again. Repeatedly. He smiled at the thought.

Caroline finally called everyone to eat a little while later, and they all gathered around the huge, antique table. Damon managed to position himself next to Bonnie and he saw the little smile tugging at her lips. Everyone passed around the food and Damon watched with interest as Bonnie piled her plate high with turkey, mashed potatoes and an ungodly amount of his macaroni and cheese. Everybody was engaged in conversation about something or another and he wasn't sure that anyone else noticed the long, satisfied moan that escaped Bonnie's throat when she bit into the macaroni.

"Jeez, Bon, is it good?" Elena joked.

"Oh my God," she moaned again, "this tastes just like my grandmother's. Care, where did you get this?"

"Actually," Caroline said, her bright eyes flitting to Damon, "Damon made it."

Bonnie's head whipped to Damon, who was trying his best not to beat his chest like a caveman.

"You made this?" she asked softly.

"Yep."

"It's...delicious."

"Yeah, I gathered that." He stuck his fork in her plentiful supply of macaroni and took a bite. "Yummy." He winked at her and her eyes did that hungry thing again before she looked away.

_Not. Fair._

Her thoughts infiltrated his mind and he couldn't have felt more smug if he tried. He was wooing the hell out of her. He wanted to reach across the table and give Stefan a high five, but his brother's little smirk worked well enough.

The rest of dinner flowed well. Damon repeatedly picked things off of Bonnie's plate and she pinched his thigh underneath the table. They avoided conversation with each other, mostly because he knew that she was probably afraid that if they spoke too much, they might give something away. When dinner ended, he helped carry the dishes into the kitchen.

"I guess I'll use vamp speed to clean all these up," Caroline said.

"I can do it, Care," Bonnie volunteered.

"What? No! You're a guest of honor. You don't do dishes."

"I always did them with Grams and my dad. I actually kind of like washing them by hand. Please?"

Caroline frowned but then nodded. "Okay, fine. But someone should at least dry them for you."

"I'll help," Damon volunteered. "I wasn't really into the football games anyway."

Caroline raised an eyebrow at Bonnie and they had some kind of silent communication, before Caroline smiled.

"Okay, fine. I'll see if _Elena_ can help me set up for charades."

She left them alone in the kitchen and Bonnie started the water. She fished out a cleaning towel, as well as a drying towel and she handed that one to Damon. He tossed it over his shoulder and then hopped on the counter next to her, awaiting the first clean dishes to dry.

"So," he started, "the macaroni was pretty good, huh?"

Bonnie turned the retractable faucet head and sprayed him with water.

"Hey!" he said with a laugh.

"You know damn well that macaroni was incredible, and I don't appreciate you using my food weaknesses against me."

"Against you? Never. How was I to know that you'd like it so much?"

"Just a lucky guess, I suppose?"

"I suppose so."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same. She snickered and then sprayed him again.

"Get over here and dry, please."

"Fine. But if you keep getting me wet, I"ll be forced to take my shirt off and who knows how you'll react to that."

"I'll try to contain myself," she said dryly.

He hip-checked her and she did the same to him. They were quiet for a few minutes, as she washed and he dried.

"This is nice," she said. "This whole get-together. I love the holidays."

"I don't love them, but you're right...this is nice."

"You know my favorite part?" she asked. He shook his head. "The smells. I love the way the holidays smell, you know? I love the crisp air outside and the warmth inside. I love the smell of a lot of food and pumpkins and candles. It just always makes me so happy, even when I'm feeling down." She looked at him from the corner of her eye and he saw the cute little shy smile on her face. "Do you think that's weird?"

"No, I don't think that's weird at all. Smell is the strongest sense we have. It can take you back to an exact moment, just like that," he said as he snapped his fingers.

Bonnie nodded and slowly washed one of the dishes.

"I love the way Grams smelled," she said softly.

Guilt crept into Damon's body as she looked ahead, appearing a bit sad.

"She had this particular perfume she used to wear," she continued. "I never knew the name of it but after she died, a found a bottle of it in her bedroom. There were only like three drops of it left, and I looked everywhere for it. I couldn't find it so I had to special order it. I still have a full bottle in my room. Every now and then, I'll take the cap off and smell it but I never use any. I guess I'm afraid that if I use it, they'll stop making it and I'll forget what she smelled like."

Silence hung heavily between them as she continued to wash and he dried. He had always felt badly about his role in Sheila's death. Even when he was consumed by his obsession with Katherine, somewhere deep in him he knew that Sheila's demise was on his head. He had never formally apologized to Bonnie, and he wasn't sure what an apology would do at this point. He wasn't the best with words and he thought that if he talked, he would only mess it up.

"I'll be right back," he said.

Bonnie looked confused but he ran off before she could ask where he was going. He hurried up to his room, opened a trunk that he kept underneath his bed, and pulled out a small box. He caressed the box lovingly and took it downstairs with him. When he was next to Bonnie again, he turned off the water and she looked at him. He showed her the box, then opened it and revealed a dingy but otherwise perfectly-maintained handkerchief.

"This was my mother's," he said, and Bonnie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "She died a little while after Stefan was born. I'm not even sure he remembers her, but I do. She used to carry this handkerchief with her everywhere she went. After she died, I took it and I used to smell it at night so I wouldn't cry about her being gone." He smiled sadly at the memory. "I've kept it this whole time, in this little box, because I didn't want it to stop smelling like her. So...I know how you feel."

Bonnie looked at the handkerchief, then at him, then she slowly returned to washing the dishes. Neither of them spoke for a while, and Damon was sure that their playful flirty night was ruined with all the talk of dead mothers and grandmothers. He closed his precious box and placed it on the counter as he resumed his drying duties. He tried to think of any topic that he could pick to lighten the mood, and Bonnie surprised him when she spoke first.

_What do I smell like?_

Damon noticed that she hadn't asked the question out loud, which gave him permission to be as naughty as he wanted. He saw the little glint in her eye and he knew the night was back on track. He tapped his chin while he pretended to think, even though the answer was on the tip of his tongue.

_Passion_, he responded.

Bonnie snorted. _Passion is not a smell._

_It is when you can smell a million more things than a human. I can smell nuances in things that you can't even imagine._

She rolled her eyes.

_Ok, fine, what does passion smell like?_

_You._

She shook her head.

_And here I thought you were capable of being romantic, with the Italian and the macaroni and the sweet story about your mom. Jeremy knows how to describe his feelings really well. I guess he gets the advantage in this round._

Damon narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled like she had no idea how she was baiting him.

_That's how you want to play it?_ he asked.

She shrugged, attempting and failing to look innocent. He nodded, dried his hands on a towel and silently accepted her challenge. He took the couple of small steps to stand behind her, and as soon as his body was pressed against her, she froze.

"What..." she started, but he hushed her.

"Shh, shh, shh," he whispered in her ear. "You want to know what you smell like, I'm going to tell you. But I need a refresher first."

Before she could ask what that meant, he gathered her hair and moved it to the side, exposing her neck. He gently pressed his nose against her skin and dragged it from the base of her neck to her hairline, taking a huge inhale along the way. He groaned lowly and Bonnie shivered against him.

_Your skin smells like the freshest-picked flowers after the morning rain._

He pulled her sweater to the side just enough to expose some of her collarbone, and he dragged his nose over that area.

_Your blood smells like the sweetest fruit plucked at the height of the season._

He could hear her harsh breaths as he ghosted his lips over her skin and he placed his mouth against her ear.

_And I just want to sink my teeth into you and pluck you all night._

Bonnie whimpered and the heady scent of her arousal attacked Damon and nearly brought him to his knees. Her head rested against his chest and she leaned to one side, giving him full access to bite her if he wanted to. He wasn't sure if she even knew the invitation she was giving him, but he couldn't control the descent of his fangs and the black and red veins that overcame him. He remembered Bonnie's inebriated confession that she wanted him to bite her and make her like it, and there was nothing he wanted to do more than that.

His hands fell to her hips and he gripped her close to him. He was sure that she could feel how this predicament was affecting the lower half of his body, but if it bothered her, he couldn't tell. In fact, she seemed to push up even closer to him and she didn't shy away when he nuzzled her neck. He could smell the overpowering scent of her blood and he heard it rushing through her veins like a waterfall. He opened his jaw, fully prepared to pierce her delicate skin, when someone behind them cleared his throat.

Both their heads snapped around and there stood Stefan, wearing an expression of amusement.

"We're about to play Charades," he announced, "if you two can pull yourselves away from...doing the dishes."

Bonnie moved away from Damon and looked a bit unsteady on her feet for a second before she took a deep breath and shook off the cobwebs. She started to walk away, but Damon caught her hand.

_You might want to take a pit stop to the bathroom,_ he suggested. When she raised a questioning eyebrow, _he said let's just say that with the way you smell right now, every vampire in that room would want to pluck your fruit._

Her cheeks reddened immediately but she nodded and scurried out. His eyes fell on his brother, who crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Wooing, Damon. Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, i remember."

Then Stefan sniffed the air and nodded appreciatively. Damon's eyes narrowed and he pointed an accusatory finger.

"Sniff again and I'll tear your nose off."

Stefan held up his hands but grinned like the little devil he could be and left Damon to his own devices. Damon sighed and took a few minutes to calm down. When his pants went back to their normal size and he didn't feel like he would throw Bonnie over his shoulder like a Neanderthal and lock her in his bedroom for the next several days, he joined everyone else in the living room. He tried not to stare at Bonnie or break the arm that Jeremy rested on her shoulder. To his utter delight, Bonnie wiggled out of the embrace and mumbled something about not feeling well.

The kid's days were numbered.

When the night ended, Damon and Stefan played the dutiful hosts and saw everyone out. Bonnie hung around to the end and while Jeremy was starting the car, she waited in the foyer with Damon. She made sure they were alone before she tugged him close to her and wrapped him up in a hug. He returned the embrace and kissed the top of her head.

_You don't have any competition_, she said. _I just want to let him down gently. Okay?_

His grin was a mile wide.

_Okay_.

She stood on her tiptoes and buried her nose in his neck. She did the same thing to him that he had done to her earlier, when she dragged the tip of it all along his skin. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling, but his eyes shot open when her sharp little teeth bit him. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to sting.

"Ow!"

She smiled devilishly.

_That was a warning. Next time, don't tease me._

And with that, she turned around and left. Damon stood in the doorway and watched her get into the passenger side of Jeremy's car. Once they were out of sight, he rested against the door and shook his head.

Bonnie Bennett was going to be the death of him.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Bonnie hadn't said anything about being sad as the Thanksgiving decorations went down and Christmas sprang up all over town, but Jeremy knew that she must have been at least a little down in the dumps. She had no family to speak of: both her parents and beloved grandmother were gone. Her dad had some family a few states away but they might as well have been strangers. So although she hadn't voiced any type of sadness, when the second week of December rolled around and Bonnie's house was void of any festiveness, Jeremy took it upon himself to bring some cheer to her home.

He showed up one morning, wrapped up in warm clothes and a wreath in hand, and demanded that Bonnie put him to work. She seemed surprised, but not unpleasantly so, and she let him go crazy in her home. He put up the pathetic fake little Christmas tree that she refused to part with and then took to the outdoors, where he was hanging up lights along the trim of her house.

"Jer, are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked with a weary expression.

"I'm sure," he said. He smiled and simultaneously stapled in some lights. "I did this with my dad a million times."

"Okay," she said slowly, clearly unimpressed with his story. "Just be careful. I wouldn't want you to fall and sue me. There's no telling what the homeowner's insurance policy is looking like these days."

"No problem." He smiled and stapled again. "If I get hurt, you can just kiss it and make it better."

Bonnie looked down and shifted her feet, and Jeremy frowned. He remembered a time when Bonnie would blush from his flirty comments and maybe shrug cutely and tell him to knock it off. She was uncomfortable, but in an innocent and adorable way. Now, she just looked uncomfortable. Like she had no idea how to respond to him or flirt back.

It was driving Jeremy up the wall. Ever since her return from the Other Side, she had been distant and unsure. He tried to give her space, but none of his usual methods to pull her closer were working. She was sweet and polite but completely unresponsive.

Neither of them said anything as he continued to hang lights and she waited, bundled up in her jacket, watching him like a mother hen. Her phone rang every few minutes and out of the corner of his eye, Jeremy saw Bonnie smile slightly, type back a response to whatever message she'd gotten, and then slide her phone back into her pocket.

"You're popular today," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "That thing is going off every couple of seconds."

"Caroline," she said with a shrug. As if that explained everything. And really, it did. Caroline was on a tear with all her holiday planning. She was insisting that they have a repeat of Thanksgiving by hosting a big Christmas party at the boarding house. She'd already made everyone pull Secret Santa names. She was also heading up a New Year's Party and Jeremy guessed that she was telling Bonnie about it in excruciating detail.

"I'm making some cookies," she said. "You want some?"

"Chocolate chip?"

She smiled that lopsided brilliant smile that he loved. "Of course."

He watched her walk inside, and once he finished the string of lights he was working on, he climbed down the ladder to take a cookie break. When he walked inside from the brisk late autumn air, he was greeted with the warmth of Bonnie's home. Nat King Cole's Christmas album filled the space with his rich singing voice. Bonnie's anemic little Christmas tree that could shone brightly with all its colorful built-in lights. The smell of freshly-baked cookies infiltrated Jeremy's nose.

As he rounded the corner and found Bonnie dusting green and red sprinkles over the cookies, he was attacked with a sense of peace and comfort. In that moment, he could see himself being with Bonnie forever, having Christmas together and chasing after some adorable witchy kids. He wanted it all, and when she turned around and smiled at him, he nearly melted into the floor.

"Ready," she said, gesturing to the cookies.

He nodded but totally ignored the sweet treats as he made his way to Bonnie and wrapped her up in a tight hug. She jumped in surprise and for the first few seconds, she was stiff in his arms. But then, incrementally, she relaxed until she was hugging him in return and he grinned in triumph.

"Thank you," he said lowly.

"For what?" she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

"The cookies."

She chuckled. "You're welcome. And thank you for all your help today."

Her phone rang again and he groaned.

"Is there some polite way you can tell Caroline to buzz off?"

She laughed. "I did that about fifty messages ago." To his dismay, she shimmied away from him enough to look at her phone. He watched her frown and then tap her foot. "She wants each of us to bring a special ornament to put on the tree at the boarding house."

"A special ornament?"

"Yeah, you know, like some family ornament that means something to each of us. I actually think I have one in the attic."

She slid past him and he gently took her arm.

"I can get it for you," he said.

"Uh, no, sir. I think you've put yourself in enough danger today. I'll be right back."

She disappeared from the kitchen and Jeremy shed his jacket and hopped up on the counter. He took a cookie while it was still hot and grinned when the chocolate melted in his mouth. He leaned his head against the cabinets behind him and closed his eyes, wallowing in the comfort of the moment. He didn't realize that Bonnie had left her phone on the counter until it rang again. He opened his eyes and frowned, eyeing it from a couple of feet away. He seriously contemplated texting Caroline back and telling her to give them some much-needed private time.

And then, in a moment of sheer insecurity, Jeremy wondered whether Bonnie had been texting Caroline at all. He thought back to the all the times that Bonnie had shrugged off his hugs, or avoided his kisses, or came up with some excuse to not spend time with him. He had entertained the thought before that maybe she was into someone else, but he never gave it much mileage. After all, she was Bonnie. She was a good girl, and that was one thing he liked about her.

Still, the thoughts plagued him as he watched her unlocked screen brighten from another message. His fingers itched to see who was texting her so much, but he knew he shouldn't. He strained to hear Bonnie and his heart beat a little faster when he heard her moving around in the attic. He had the time. He had the opportunity. And he before he could think better of it, he hopped down and snatched the phone up before it faded to black and locked him out.

Jeremy's heart thundered in his ears when his shaky thumb went to her messages. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was overcome with relief and guilt when the text box with Caroline was the first to appear. He only had to skim briefly to see that Caroline had indeed been the texting culprit all along. He put the phone down and wiped his hand over his face, ashamed that he hadn't trusted Bonnie more. He silently vowed to himself that he would never sink so low again.

His promise only lasted a millisecond, when another message popped up. Only that time, it wasn't from Caroline. It was Damon.

Jeremy's eyebrow quirked up. He had noticed that Bonnie and Damon were obviously closer than they were before they left. They hadn't shouted at each other at all since their return and their whole dynamic was different: friendly, easy, maybe even a little flirty. Jeremy had caught Damon staring at Bonnie once or twice and although he hadn't seen Bonnie return the attention, it bothered him.

His fingers tapped the counter while he wondered if it was worth snooping through her phone twice in less than thirty seconds, when he had been so wrong the first time. The text from Damon was probably totally harmless.

Probably.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

It was Damon, after all.

And again, Jeremy was picking up Bonnie's phone and going to her messages.

_i miss you_

He stared at the message from Damon, unsure of what to make of it. It didn't necessarily sit well with him, but then again, they were friends now and friends missed each other. Right? He didn't want to believe there was anything more to it than that, and then another message come from the vampire.

_i can still smell you_

Jeremy's eyes widened and a chill went down his body like someone had poured ice on him. There was no way to interpret the second message as anything other than a come-on. What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? He could still smell her? Smell her from what? Smell what part of her exactly? When were they close enough for Damon to smell her and have it linger long enough for him to text about it?

His young mind whirred with questions and doubts and before he could piece any of it together, he heard Bonnie's voice.

"Found it," she called.

He scrambled to lock her phone and he moved as far away from it as possible. He didn't even have a chance to process anything before Bonnie reappeared, holding up a well-worn crystal ornament that looked like it had seen better days.

"This was my favorite ornament as a kid," she said with a smile. "Grams told me that if I was good and wished on it, I would get everything I wanted for Christmas. And I always did."

Bonnie must have noticed his failure to smile, because she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine," he said with a quick smile. "Do you have any milk?"

"Yeah, it's in the fridge."

Duh. He wanted to smack himself for asking such a stupid question but his brain was still stuck on the Damon text. He fumbled around with the milk and stuffed three cookies in his mouth.

"I'm gonna finish the lights," he said, walking past Bonnie.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

He nodded and went back outside without another word. He was zombie-like as he finished all her outdoor lights. He read that text in his head a million times, trying and failing to find a way to make it platonic. But it was Damon. No matter how close he and Bonnie got on the Other Side, they would never be like that.

Right?

By the time he finished hanging the decorations, he wasn't so certain about his assumptions of Bonnie's relationship with Damon. He was confused and unsure of how to ask her about it. If she hadn't said anything, maybe it's because there was nothing to say. Then again, her actions spoke louder than any words could.

"Hey, I'm just gonna take off," he said after he went back inside. "Everything's finished."

"Thank you," she said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and hang out?"

"Nah, that's okay. I wouldn't want to be in your way."

She folded her arms over her chest. "What is going on? You were so happy when you got here and now you're being so short with me. Did something happen?"

"You tell me," he countered.

He folded his arms like she did, and she looked completely confused. He realized that she may not have even seen the message from Damon since he'd already read it, and he didn't feel like he should admit he was digging through her phone. So he deflected.

"You've been pushing me away for weeks, Bonnie," he said, his voice telling her just how much the distance hurt him. Her annoyed look changed to one of guilt. "Do you not love me anymore?"

Her green eyes widened and she immediately shook her head. "No, Jer, no that's not it."

"So there is an 'it'?"

She didn't speak for a few minutes, then she nodded towards the couch. "Can we sit down?"

He knew from her tone that the conversation wasn't going to end well. The writing had been on the wall for weeks but he'd tried to fight it, ignore it, make excuses. He followed her to the couch and looked at his hands as she collected her breath several times but failed to speak.

"Just say something," he said.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said in a tiny voice.

"Then stop stringing me along and tell me the truth."

He chanced a look at her and he almost felt bad for her. She looked truly torn about what she wanted to say, so he waited until she processed her thoughts and finally spoke.

"I have feelings for someone else," she said.

Although he had expected something along those lines, hearing the words come out of her mouth felt like a dagger to his heart. He clenched his jaw and looked down at his hands again, for fear that if he looked at her, she might see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I kinda figured," he said.

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy," she said in a voice that hurt him more because he could hear how genuine she was. "I didn't mean for it to happen. You know how I felt about you. You were my first everything and I never would have given that away if I thought we were coming back."

_Felt_. Jeremy wasn't even sure that Bonnie realized she had used the word in the past tense, but it hit him like a ton of bricks to the face. He had to wipe his cheek quickly before the tears hit his pants. He felt Bonnie's hand on his shoulder and he jerked away from her.

"Is it Damon?" he asked.

He didn't have to look up to feel the shock coming from her.

"How did you...?"

"You guys aren't exactly being discreet with the way you feel about each other," he said, hoping that the quivering in his voice would stop. "I see the flirting, the looks. I just hoped I was making things up in my head."

She said nothing. Neither of them said anything. Jeremy wanted so desperately to be angry. He wanted to call Bonnie a cheater and a hypocrite, but he couldn't. She had died saving them. He knew that if she truly thought she would be back, she would have held out for him. Falling for Damon was not something she probably ever anticipated and now she was dealing with the fallout.

When he got his watery eyes under control, he looked at her and saw how utterly sad she looked.

"I never wanted to hurt you," she said.

"I know."

"I wasn't stringing you along. I promise. I wanted to get back to the way things were between us but this thing with Damon..." She played with her fingers and shrugged. "I can't shake it. And...I don't think i want to."

Jeremy felt his lip beginning to tremble so he looked down again, but he nodded.

"You love him?" he managed to ask.

Her answer was soft, but he heard the 'yes' that he already knew was coming.

"I'm guessing Elena doesn't know," he said.

"No."

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to tell her."

"I couldn't ask you to keep it from her, Jeremy. I don't think I'm ready to tell her yet, but it wouldn't be right of me to break up with you and then ask you to keep a secret. If you want to tell her, then I'll understand."

He didn't think before he said, "I won't tell her."

"What?" she asked, clearly surprised.

He looked at her and said more forcefully, "I won't tell her. It's your friendship and you should tell her on your own terms. I'm not trying to hurt you, Bonnie. And I don't want you to hate me, just in case this thing with Damon doesn't work out."

He could tell from the small smile on Bonnie's face that she didn't think her 'thing' with Damon was in any danger of not working out, and it was at that moment that Jeremy realized how serious whatever they had must have been. Still, she reached over and took his hand.

"Thank you, Jer."

He nodded and stood, and Bonnie followed him to the door. She opened her arms for a hug and he accepted. They embraced each other tightly for several long minutes and when Jeremy pulled away, Bonnie leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek.

She didn't have to tell him that it was the last kiss they'd share.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Damon lay on the couch in the living room, his legs swung over the sides, while he read "The Hunger Games." Although he made it a point not to let on how well-read he was, he had read practically every classic novel and bestseller out there. He'd even skimmed "Twilight" and, regretfully, lived to tell about it. He'd purposely avoided other teen books but after a boring day of flipping through the HBO channels, he decided to give the popular series a try. To his surprise, he actually liked it.

He didn't tear his eyes away from the book after he heard the front door open. Stefan had been in and out and, assuming it was his brother, he said, "this book isn't half bad. Something about the pointless sacrificing of children appeals to me. Does that make me a bad person?"

He expected a snarky comment from Stefan and when none came, he lowered the book just enough to see that his visitor was not his brother. It was Jeremy, and the boy looked fit to be tied. Damon rolled his eyes and forced a smile.

"Jeremy," he said, "to what do I owe the displeasure?"

"What'd you do to Bonnie, you dick?" Jeremy asked, his face tight with anger.

"I didn't do anything to her. Why, did something happen?"

"Yeah. She dumped me and said she loves you."

It took every ounce of strength not to smile at that little revelation. Damon swung his legs over the couch and placed his book down.

"Ah, well, that's too bad," he said, walking past the younger man. He was about to offer the kid a drink when Jeremy reached out and grabbed his arm a little too tightly. Damon stopped, looked down at the offending hand, and his jovial mood disappeared. "I'd suggest you let go of me."

"What. Did. You. Do?" Jeremy asked, getting so close to him that Damon could feel the tip of his nose.

"No offense, little Gilly, but I didn't do anything. She fell for me all on her own."

"Did you compel her?"

Damon frowned, wondering why nothing seemed to be getting into Jeremy's head. He yanked his arm away and took a step back in a true effort not to let the situation escalate.

"First of all, I wouldn't do that. Secondly, she's a witch and incapable of being compelled. Or have you hit your head so hard that you forgot that?"

"She'd never love you willingly. Not after all the things you've done to her and her family. You did something and you're going to tell me what it is so I can fix it."

"Have you lost your mind?" Damon asked. "What part of 'I didn't do anything' don't you understand? I get that you're upset and while that sucks and all, I've kinda had it with your shitty attitude. Now get out before I get mad."

He tried to walk by again, and again Jeremy grabbed him. Damon's lips formed a tight line and he began to wonder how mad Bonnie would be with him if he ripped the little bastard's heart out.

"Did you seduce her?" Jeremy asked, smiling a little like maybe he had finally stumbled upon the right answer. "Is that it? Did you screw her, Damon?"

With his patience officially depleted, Damon smiled and said, "in every position imaginable."

In less than a second, he felt a searing pain in his stomach and looked down to see a stake sticking through his midsection. He groaned and doubled over and Jeremy stood above him, his hand still on the wooden object and pushing it in further.

"You...little...fucker," Damon groaned through the pain.

"Tell me what you did."

"I didn't do anything!" he screamed. "Bonnie loves me and you need to get over it!"

"She hated you. She tried to kill you on more than one occasion. I know she wouldn't leave me for you unless you tricked her!"

"Things change, Jeremy," he said, grasping at his stomach.

"Try again."

Jeremy pulled the stake it and jammed it into Damon's other side and he howled in pain. His forehead broke into a sweat and he felt like his whole body was on fire. He tried to fight Jeremy off but the kid was incredibly strong for a human and Damon was weakened by his injuries. He knew he couldn't fight back physically, so he decided to get under Jeremy's skin with words.

"Did you know," he started, taking a painful breath, "that Bonnie said you suck in bed? Maybe that's why it was so easy to come to me. Or should I say, come _for_ me?"

Jeremy staked him again and smiled devilishly. "Keep it up, Damon. The next one will be higher and to the left."

He looked like he was going to follow through with his threat until he was abruptly thrown off of Damon and the stake was removed. Damon groaned in relief and saw Stefan standing in front of his brother.

"Jeremy, what the hell are you doing?" Stefan yelled.

"He did something to Bonnie and I'm gonna fix it."

"He didn't do anything to her. They fell in love. Stuff happens."

"She would never love him," Jeremy said, looking at Damon with a wide-eyed gaze like he was going to attack again.

Stefan grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard, making the younger man look at him. "Jeremy, listen to me. Damon and Bonnie were together, without us, for six months. Things change, all right? I know that's hard to understand and it sucks to have your heart broken, but you can't just come in here and kill Damon. How do you think Bonnie would feel about that? She would never forgive you."

That seemed to awaken him from his stupor and when he looked at Stefan, Stefan took advantage of the sad look in his eyes and gave him a brotherly pat on the shoulders.

"Look, I know firsthand what it's like to have Damon steal my girl."

"Hey," Damon said with a frown.

"And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to kill him, too. But Bonnie's her own woman and you know as well as I do that she doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do. She's obviously forgiven Damon for the stuff that happened between them and if she wants to be with him, you've got to let her go. If she's meant to come back to you, she will. Until then, just be her friend, okay?"

Jeremy looked down and after a few tense moments, he nodded.

"Yeah, okay," he said.

"Okay," Stefan said.

Jeremy looked at Damon, who was still recovering, and he threw the stake at him. It smacked Damon right in the head.

"Ow! You're a little punk."

"This isn't over. If you hurt Bonnie, I'll come back and finish the job," Jeremy promised.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Stefan walked Jeremy out and when he returned, Damon had finally gotten himself up from the floor. His white T-shirt was stained with blood and had several holes in it.

"This was one of my favorite shirts," he whined.

"You're lucky I didn't let him kill you," Stefan said.

"Oh, please. You'd be so bored without me." He grabbed a jacket and pulled it on over his bloody shirt.

"Where are you going?"

"To see about a witch."

...

Damon stood on the porch of Bonnie's house and rang the doorbell. He heard her walking along the wood floors and when she opened the door, she looked surprised to see him. Before she could ask what he was doing there, he unzipped his jacket and her eyes widened when she saw the blood on his shirt.

"Oh my God, what happened?" she gasped.

"Jeremy happened. He came by and staked me a few times. Tried to kill me, actually."

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, apparently he's upset because you dumped him?"

Bonnie's hands went to her face and she groaned. "This is such a mess," she said, mostly to herself. She shook her head and then moved aside and wordlessly asked him to come in. He followed her to the couch and once they were seated, she looked at his shirt and shook her head again. "I can't believe he did that. He seemed so calm when I told him."

"Yeah, well, I guess he saved all the crazy for me."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I could use a little nursing." He wiggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.

"Damon, this is serious. Jeremy _attacked_ you."

"It would have been nice to know that you were going to dump him. Maybe I could have worn by wooden-proof vest."

"I didn't plan on it! It just happened. He came over to help with my decorations and he kind of just asked me if I liked someone else. When I said I did, he asked if it was you and I didn't want to lie to him."

"Well, it seems like the only one who doesn't know is Elena. Maybe we should just bite the bullet and tell her."

Bonnie looked at him like he was insane. "If Jeremy's reaction was any indication, she'll try to rip my throat out. She hasn't exactly been predictable since becoming a vampire."

"So what do you suggest we do?"

She sighed and shook her head again. "I don't know. Maybe we should just give Jeremy some time to cool down and let me figure out a way to tell Elena that won't result in my death or the total destruction of our friendship."

"What does that mean, exactly? You don't want to talk to me anymore? You don't want to see me?"

"No, no, I don't want that," she said as she took his hands in hers.

"Then tell me what you do want."

Her green eyes looked hopelessly confused when she replied with, "I don't know what I want, Damon. I don't want to hurt anybody any more than I already have."

Damon peeled his jacket off and knelt on the floor in front of Bonnie. He kissed both of her hands and held them against him.

"Did you learn anything while we were on the Other Side?" he asked. She nodded. "What did you learn?"

"That you make me happy."

He smiled. "What else?"

She tucked hair behind her ear and shrugged. "I don't know."

"You want to know what I learned? I learned that, aside from the fact that you are actually kind of fun and sexy underneath all that bossiness..." She smacked him and he grinned. "As I was saying, beyond that, I learned that we only have this one life to live and we should probably live it. I know us being together is going to be a problem with Elena and Jeremy, but you've already given up your life, more than once, for them. When are you going to start living for yourself, Bonnie? Do you want all your decisions to be based on what's best for other people, or what's best for you?"

She didn't say anything at first, and he waited while she ran her slim warm fingers over his hands.

"She's the only family I have left," she said quietly.

"I know," he said quietly, as he stroked her cheek.

"I don't want to hurt her."

"I know."

"I don't know how to tell her."

"We'll come up with something together. Okay?"

She nodded and he stood up and pulled her with him. He wrapped her up in a tight hug and he smiled when he felt her arms squeeze his midsection. They stood like that for a while before he pulled away.

"Come on. Put some clothes on."

"Where are we going?"

"Well, you let your ex-boyfriend put up all your decorations. The least you could do is let me buy you a tree."

"I have a perfectly fine tree."

"That thing is ugly and looks like it's going to collapse at any second. We're going to get you a real tree. Now go put something on. I don't want everybody looking at my lady."

"I don't recall agreeing to be your lady."

"You will," he said, with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

He saw her trying not to smile and he plopped down on the couch while she disappeared upstairs. He folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. The house smelled like warmth and cookies and _Bonnie_, and Damon felt a tingle in his chest that felt eerily like euphoria. He had almost dozed off when Bonnie was in front of him again, bundled up. She held out a gray turtleneck.

"Here," she said, "you might not want to go out in that bloody shirt."

"This isn't Jeremy's, is it?"

"My dad's."

Damon peeled off his stained shirt and noticed, happily, that Bonnie's eyes made quick work of his chest and abs. He took his time pulling the sweater over his head and he frowned when he pulled it all the way down. It was warm and comfortable and all, but he felt more like Cliff Huxtable than a badass vampire. It didn't help that Bonnie was grinning.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

"You look kinda cute like that. All domestic. Like maybe you're going to make me some jello."

"Ha ha," he said dryly, which only spurred on her laughing. He zipped his leather jacket over his dad-sweater and growled. "Let's go, before I punish you for being a bad girl."

He smacked her butt and she yelped, and the two of them walked out together. He held open the passenger side door for her and then they were on the road to the little Christmas tree forest that Damon saw every day in town. They didn't talk much on the way there, but Damon was pleased when he reached over and Bonnie interlaced their fingers.

He was even more pleased when she continued to hold his hand as they walked through the warmly-lit tree forest and scouted out a perfect tree. He could feel some slight tension in her body and he knew she was a little scared that someone would see them, but it only made her willingness to hold onto him that much sweeter. As they looked at all the trees, she gravitated to the smaller, neglected ones that nobody else wanted.

Damon, of course, wanted the biggest, most grand tree, even though he knew it was too big to fit in her living room. They settled on a medium-sized one that was pre-treated and already had some lights woven through it. There was no way in hell that Damon was going to strap the thing on top of his beloved Mustang, so he compelled one of the workers to drive it to Bonnie's house for them. The drive back home was quiet and peaceful and Bonnie only spoke up when she realized that Damon was taking a detour from the regular route.

"Where are we going now?" she asked softly.

"Just looking at the lights in the neighborhood," he said with a smile.

He drove slowly down the streets, watching her out of the corner of his eye and smiling every time she smiled. He noticed that she seemed to like the white lights better than the colorful ones, which didn't surprise him. Where the colorful lights were louder and attention-grabbing, the white ones were classic and understated, yet still beautiful. Kind of like her.

"What do you think about that house?" he asked, as he came to a stop. Bonnie's eyes followed his and he watched the recognition flood her face. It was a yellow craftsman-style home, just a couple of streets down from her Gram's house. White lights ran along the trim of the porch and two animatronic deer were placed on the perfectly-mowed lawn. And there was a "For Sale" sign in the yard.

"It's our house," she said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Yep."

"And it's for sale."

"Mm hm."

Bonnie snapped her head in his direction. "You're not...going to buy that house for me...are you?"

He smiled. "Oh come on, Bon-Bon, I'm romantic but not _that_ romantic."

She didn't look convinced. "Damon, don't buy me that house. I mean it."

"Okay," he shrugged.

"Promise me."

"I promise," he said, but he crossed his fingers where she couldn't see them.

She narrowed her eyes but silently accepted his promise, and they drove to her house. When they pulled into the driveway, the guy from the tree store was waiting on the porch, tree against the door. Damon helped him bring it inside and after they discarded the one already in the living room, they set it up exactly where Bonnie wanted it. Damon gave the guy a nice tip and then smiled at his handiwork.

"See? Isn't that better? Don't you feel much more Christmas-y?"

"It's a nice tree," she admitted.

He pulled her to his chest and tapped her nose. "See? Daddy always knows what you need."

"Normally, that would be hot but right now, it's kind of creepy."

"It's the sweater, isn't it?"

Her lips spread into a grin, and then she laughed and nodded. "Yeah, sorry, it's just not working for me."

Her laughter sounded like music to him and without realizing it, he began to sway their bodies in a gentle dance.

"I love when you laugh," he said. "You should do it more often."

"Okay."

She rested her head on his chest and they continued to dance to the song in his head. He heard her stifle a yawn and he kissed her forehead.

"I should let you get some sleep."

"Don't go," she said, as she squeezed him. She looked up and placed her chin on his chest. "Stay with me?"

"Of course."

"I'll be right back."

She disappeared upstairs and he toed off his shoes and discarded his jacket and sweater. Bonnie returned, her arms full of thick comforters and pillows, and she began to spread them on the floor.

"I always liked sleeping under the tree once it was put up. Is that okay?" she asked.

"As long as we sleep naked, sure."

She threw a pillow at his head and he smiled. He took over the arrangement of their makeshift bed while she went upstairs to change into pajamas. He turned off the lights so that only the lights from the tree illuminated the room, and he stripped out of his jeans. He seriously contemplated taking off his boxer briefs, too, but he didn't want to scare Bonnie off. He lay down and situated himself on his side, and when Bonnie returned, he tossed the comforters back and patted the spot in front of him.

"Just waiting on you, Honey Bunny," he teased.

She rolled her eyes but slid right into the spot in front of him. She scooted back and he scooted up until their bodies were touching in every spot, from their feet to their heads. Damon wrapped his arm around her body and buried his head in the back of her neck.

"Mm," he moaned, "this feels good."

"It does," she whispered.

"If only you were nude."

"Don't ruin it."

He smiled against her skin. They were quiet for a while and he basked in her scent, her soft body and the comfortable glow of the room. He kissed her neck and whispered, "I love you."

"I know." She squeezed his hand. "I love you, too."


End file.
